Profile
Udom Gabriel Emmanuel is a banker by profession, a technocrat, and the current governor of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, sworn into office on 29th May 2015. He ran successfully for the office of Governor of Akwa Ibom State, in the April 2015 elections, on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Emmanuel was elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State on 11th April 2015 and re-elected for a second term on 9th March 2019.
Personal Life
He was born on 11th July 1966, in Awa Iman, Onna local government area, Akwa Ibom State. He is married to Martha Udom Emmanuel, and they are parents of three children. Udom grew up as a Christian and he served as a Sunday school teacher. He is currently a Deacon of the United Evangelical Church (QIC), Nigeria. He is expressive of his unwavering support for the Premier League football club, Arsenal.
Education
| School | Qualification | Year |
| Institut Europeen D’ Administration Des Affaires (INSEAD) Business School, France | INSEAD Certificate in Global Management | |
| Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom | MSc. Corporate Governance | |
| University of Lagos, Lagos State | BSc. Accounting | 1988 |
| School of Arts and Science, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State | Advanced Certificate of Basic Studies (CBS) and Higher School Certificate (HSC) | 1974 |
| Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Akpan Ishiet, Onna LGA, Akwa Ibom State | West African Senior School Certificate |
Work History
| Place | Position | Date |
| Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) | Non Executive Director | 2010 |
| Nigerian Inter-bank Settlement Systems (NIBBS) | Director | 2009 – 2011 |
| Zenith Bank | Executive Director
Chief Financial Officer Group Head of Income Optimization, Financial Control & Strategic Planning Department Pioneer Manager, Lagos Central Branch |
1996-2008 |
| PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) | Audit Manager |
Awa Iman, Onna LGA, Akwa
11 July 1966
Akwa Ibom State
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Christianity
Secretary to the State Government of Akwa Ibom State (2013-2015)
Governor, Akwa Ibom State (since 2015)
udom.emmanuel@akwaibomstate.gov.ng
Political History
In July 2013, he was appointed Secretary to the State Government of Akwa Ibom State under the administration of Governor Godswill Akpabio. His years of leadership experience in the financial industry made him noticeable to the Governor.
In 2014, he aspired for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State in a hotly contested primary election and defeated 22 other aspirants (G22) to emerge the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State. His campaign with the slogan, “Udom is Right” received mass support.
In 2015, he was elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Running under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), he won with 999,071 votes to defeat APC’s candidate Umana Okon (who got 89,865 votes). Udom Emmanuel was declared elected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
On the 9th of March, 2019, Emmanuel was re-elected as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State under the flagship of PDP with a total of 519,712 votes; he defeated 44 other candidates with his closest rival being Nsima Ekere of the All Progressive Congress party.
He runs his government on an 8-point agenda, which focuses on Industrialization, Aviation Development, Rural & Riverine Development, Agriculture, Human Capacity Development, Security, Infrastructure, and Small and Medium-scale enterprises.
He will be retiring from his current position as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State in the 2023 election
Leadership Style/Philosophy
He adopted a pragmatic approach to the leadership of the State, anchoring his administration on deep Christian and moral values.
Awards & Honours
2016 Leadership Award for Best Governor of the Year
2017 Nigeria Sports Governor of the Year Award
2019 Outstanding Governor in Industrialisation in South-South, Nigeria (conferred by DAAR Communications)
Recipient of the 2021 African Regional Awards
2022 Distinguished Leadership Award conferred by the Nigeria Police Force
Project
- Construction of major federal roads in Akwa Ibom
- Attracted over 20 companies to set up in Akwa Ibom State (Automobile Assembly Plant at Itu; First Led Factory at Itam; First Shoprite at Ibom Tropicana; Lion Plywood and Timber factory in Awa, Onna; DAAR Communications Broadcasting Complex, Abak, etc).
- Construction of Dakkada Towers, a twenty-one storey smart building in Uyo
- Built a 300-bed capacity isolation centre at the Ituk Mbang General Hospital
- Rehabilitation of Government Model Girls Secondary School, Ikot Ekang
- Coordinated youth empowerment programmes
Criticism/Controversy
In 2020, Udom faced allegations of corruption pertaining to budget overruns and questionable expenses (both personal and administrative). Some of these allegations include:
- Reports show that the office of the Secretary to the State Government bought 15 new Toyota Prados for ₦4.864 billion. However, the approved budget for the cars was ₦738 million and according to reports from the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, the 15 new cars should have cost between ₦510 million to ₦612 million. Thus, the ₦4.864 billion is not totally accounted for.
- Out of ₦153 million spent on medical equipment for the Government House, only ₦75 million was actually allocated.
- ₦800 million was allocated for Udom’’s hospitality and traditional gifts but ₦1.18 billion was spent
- In 2019, ₦2.7 billion was spent on fuel and lubricants for the generators and cars of the Governor, his family and his appointees. However, only ₦1.3 billion had been allocated for it, and reports suggested that the actual annual costs of fuel should have been less than ₦700 million.
