Akon Etim Eyakenyi (; born 24 February 1960) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

politician who is the deputy governor of

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state ...

. She served as the senator for Akwa Ibom South from 2019 to 2023. Before being elected to the senate, she was the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development from 2014 to 2015 under President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and ...

Early life and education

Eyakenyi was born in 1960 into the family of Chief Uweh Isangedihi in

Urue-Offong/Oruko Urue-Offong/Oruko is located in the south east of Nigeria and is a Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State created in September 1991. Urue-Offong/Oruko is one of the five Oro language speaking Local Government Area bounded in the North West by ...

local government area in

. In 1968 she attended Government Primary School, Uko Uyokim where she finished with her First School Leaving Certificate in 1974. In 1974 she enrolled into the Methodist Teacher’s Training College in

Oron Oron may refer to: "Light" or someone that is "being able" or "capable" of doing anything posible or impossible. *Oron people a multi ethnic group of people living In the lower Cross River basin. *Oron Nation, one of the major states in the old Ca ...

and graduated with Teachers Grade II Certificate in 1979. In 1983, Eyakenyi enrolled at the

University of Calabar The University of Calabar is a federal university situated in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. It is one of Nigeria's second-generation federal universities. The University of Calabar was a campus of the University of Nigeria until 1975. ...

and earned a Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) in 1986. In 1990, she obtained a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

(B.Ed) degree from the University of Calabar. She later earned a Master of Education (M.Ed) in 2010 and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Curriculum Education in 2014.

Career

Eyakenyi began her career as a teacher when she was appointed Mistress I & II by the Cross River State Education Board, where she served from 1986 to 1993. In 1991, while serving as a teacher, she was appointed Supervisor for Education, Youths, Sports and Culture in

. Subsequently, she served in the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Education from 1993 to 1999 as an education officer. In 1999, she was appointed to serve on the Akwa Ibom State Education Board. In 2000, she was appointed Commissioner for Industry, Commerce and Tourism in

during the regime of Victor Attah. In 2013, she was appointed by

Godswill Akpabio Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio (; born 9 December 1962) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who is currently serving as the 10th president of the Nigerian Senate since 2023. He was first elected as Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West Senat ...

as chairman of Akwa Ibom State Technical Schools Board. She served as chairman of the board until her appointment by President

as Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in 2014.

Senate

In 2018, Eyakenyi declared her intentions to run for the senate to represent Akwa Ibom South senatorial district. In October 2018, she participated in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries and emerged as the winner. On 25 February 2019 she was declared winner of the 2019 general elections to represent Akwa Ibom South senatorial district. In 2021, she introduced a bill for the establishment of the Nigerian Coast Guard in the senate.

Personal life

She is married with children and grand children.

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyakenyi, Akon Oron people Living people 1960 births Senators of the 9th National Assembly (Nigeria) Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians University of Calabar alumni