“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him” Abraham Lincoln

There is an Igbo parlance that says “Aku rue uno” meaning that wealth, riches and the affluence of life should be brought back home. In Ibibio dialect, it is translated “Yak Inyene Onyong Edi Ufok”. This has prompted Igbos around the globe to always go back home to establish their presence by way of building a befitting house, attracting development like roads, electricity, water, schools and hospitals, setting up a business and helping their kit and kin to find their feet in life. This phraseology has also given impetus to the apprenticeship system that has transformed boys into men of means and capacity.

If there is one Akwa Ibomite who understands the import of “Yak Inyene Onyong Edi Ufok” that person is Mr. Udom Uko Inoyo, former Vice President of ExxonMobil, founder and Advisor of Inoyo Toro Foundation. He has since understood that we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give and that a man is remembered for what he gives and not what he takes knowing that what he builds outlive what he tears down.

As a key player in the oil and gas industry, has ensured that whatever good he sees outside is brought back home to Akwa Ibom State. Inoyo has displayed a rich culture of Akwa Ibomness; the culture of resourcefulness, live and let’s live, be your brother’s keeper and ensuring that Akwa Ibomites are encouraged to rise to the faith of greatness while living their dreams.
Inoyo played valuable role during the resource control era. Buttressing on some of Inoyo’s commitment and Akwa Ibomness, Chief Assam Assam SAN wrote, “I recall when we, as a people, were engaged in the fight for resource control. Inoyo was then the leader of the Akwa Ibom professionals in Lagos, a group vehemently opposed to the Supreme Court judgment that deprived Akwa Ibom state from benefiting from the 13% derivation payments. He, Inoyo, anchored the compilation of the literature which in no small measure whipped the conscience of the country to adopt the political solution of the resource control imbroglio”. Senator Anietie Okon and Uko Udom SAN, who served as advisers to the late General Philip Effiong, (Akangkang of Ibibio nation) can bear witness of Inoyo’s invaluable contributions.

Inoyo led a delegation of Mobil to a Committee hearing on the Niger Delta Development Commission where he pointedly questioned the lack of proper utilization of Mobil’s share of contributions to NDDC. How can we forget the Eket- Ibeno road project, a distance of 15 or so kilometers used to take hours with attendant safety issues? Those who were privy can attest to the fact that Inoyo it was who convinced the management of MOBIL and the Government to take over the road project from NDDC. He got Mobil to contribute a whopping N8 Billion towards the construction of the two lanes road.

As General Manager, External Relations, and Member MPN Leadership Council, Inoyo superintended over the Akwa Ibom State/MPN/Schools Athletics and Championships, a sport talent and skill discovery programme which ran for a whole of 15 years. Veteran Sports Administrator, Paul Bassey made it clear that on Inoyo’s table was the decision to fund and host a competition dedicated to the honing of the athletics fortune of the youths, in schools and colleges of Akwa Ibom State. That seed has paid off as the state boasts of a cream of talented young men and women who passed through this programme to establish themselves in the national and continental limelight of sports. It also promoted grassroot sports development at the time, provided sport equipment and incentives to schools and individuals, such as spike shoes and one-off scholarships to winning athlete students.

For 14 years and still counting, Inoyo painstakingly and progressively began changing the narratives and creating a platform for Akwa Ibom state to launch itself into the knowledge economy era with all the resultant benefits. Through the Inoyo Toro foundation, more than 5040 students have been mentored, 3500 teachers trained, 235 teachers empowered, 3 principals rewarded, more than 90 schools reached across 30 LGAs of the state costing more than 400 million naira. In 2014, he opened a library in his village, Ikot Okoro Ubium, to provide learning aids and create access to research and development of reading and writing skills in secondary school students.

In 2015, he facilitated the start-up of the International Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Research (ICEESR) in University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Are you also aware for many years now, the man, a trained journalist has been sponsoring and providing scholarship for students at the International Institute of Journalism? He partnered Royal Arts Academy to berth the first ever film monotechnic in Akwa Ibom State. He sponsored 31 Akwa Ibomites to undergo training in creative and performing arts – acting, directing, editing, script writing, movie production and cinematography.
He got ExxonMobil to partner with the International Finance Corporation, IFC, the private sector investment arm of the World Bank, to bring in their flagship entrepreneurship development programme at the time, Support and Training Entrepreneurship Program (STEP) to the state to capacitate Akwa Ibom citizens to establish, run and grow their businesses. He attracted Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF), one of the foremost micro-credit implementing entity, to provide access to critical business finance for Micro and Small Enterprises in the state.
What is more Akwa Ibom than the several pioneering community development projects, employment of Akwa Ibomites into Mobil courtesy of Inoyo? Akwa Ibom indigenes alone constitute about 35% of all employees of the ExxonMobil affiliates in Nigeria. As at 2019, Mobil has cumulatively contributed over N160 billion to NDDC, and remits about N7b annually in payee tax to the Akwa Ibom State Government.

Just few days ago this patriot who takes delight in supporting his fellow compatriots, sponsored the Akwa Tech Week 2021, the aim of which is to groom young innovators and ICT savvy youths. He said: "as you know, the 21st-century economy will be largely anchored on technology and innovation, and if this country must make progress, we must look in your direction. Society is bedeviled with many problems, but these struggles are also opportunities, which some of you have already identified. I salute you for this, and for being audacious, savvy, and ready to conquer the world, notwithstanding your name, location, circumstances of birth, etc. I thank you because in stepping up to be counted, we are assured that the future of this state is secured and that the industrialization drive of the government of Governor Udom Emmanuel will not be a waste."

At the end of boot camp for the innovators, he announced sponsorship of 72 idea owners to the build and grow boot-camp capacity building to be organized by Fintech Academy estimated at over 100 million naira. He said it was his own way of raising the next generation of leaders who would help stimulate capacity development and enhance economic growth in the state and beyond.

An exceptional leader is one who thinks differently and out of the box. While some leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were providing food for the people, Udom Inoyo thought of how best lives can be saved. Through the Inoyo Toro Foundation and Stanbic IBTC/JNCI, Inoyo donated a PCR machine used for testing, getting results and treating of COVID 19. Akwa Ibom State Government is now conducting more COVID 19 tests and saving more lives because it is the only State Government in Nigeria that is administering two Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) facilities, at the moment. The PCR machine as sophisticated, exorbitant and significant as it is was donated without fanfare, nor the usual ribbon cutting as is the norm in our clime. This is because for Mr. Inoyo not every act of philanthropy is a thing for the cameras. Mr Udom Inoyo deserves our commendation especially as this life-saving machine which detects COVID-19 variant at its latent phase has helped to save lives of numerous patients in the hospital, homes, multinational organisations, etc, including several high-profile indigenes of Akwa Ibom State and environs.

Mr. Inoyo through Concerned Akwa Ibom Professionals in Lagos, a body he still serves as Coordinator, had also donated over 11,000 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Akwa Ibom State Branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), for onward distribution to frontliners in the combat against the now ubiquitous virus.

I can go on and on to enumerate the Akwa Ibomness of Udom Inoyo.

Let me declare that no one can claim to be more Akwa Ibom than Inoyo, who as an employee and salary earner, chose to think home. The events you will find Inoyo organize or attend are not the ones to open a new house, luxury estate, dedicate a new porch car or throw a lavish party to celebrate a milestone. It has always been an event where a life touching project, training programme or investment for Akwa Ibomites are being launched. By this act of Akwa Ibomness, Inoyo exemplified the words of John F. Kennedy who said, “Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country”.

Aluu Vincent (PhD in View), is the Ubokutomabasi Kiet of Akwa Ibom State and Publisher of Naija Eye Witness News.