By Joe Iniodu
Many submit that he is haunted by the very name he bears. Others argue that breeding has a lot to do with the final product that is the object of this discourse. Yet some posit that early and urbane association, concrete accomplishments at early age have combined to produce a debonaire personality who has made kindness a way of life, humility a creed and generosity an avowal. An avuncular fellow, Etido Samuel Inyang comes across as an obsessed uncle prospecting the human tapestry to identify where help is needed and how to deliver succour to the needy.
The Civil Engineer who is about to breast 50 having been born on January 8, 1965 has recorded achievements that seem to outsize his age. Perhaps his early stint with Schlumberger, an oil field service company where he spent a generous 18 years and rose to the rank of a director having garnered vast experiences and expertise in various industrial sectors accounts for his prodigious success. It is believed that high responsibilities which went his way at youthful age shaped his perception and inculcated in him the sterling values of hard-work, integrity, diligence, devotion to duty, the knack for results and service delivery which the State is benefiting today through his supervision of projects.
But his accomplishment in Schlumberger though relevant is not the subject of this treatise. The objective of this work is to examine a life that has been more of a blessing to people and to present such life as an exemplar with the intent to re-engineer society for the good of all. Ajayi Abimbola once said: “A life is never productive until it makes positive impact to the lives of others”. Notice the use of the intensifier, “positive” since all impacts may not be of gainful value. They are elites who use their wealth to torment the less privileged as a way of proving a point. Engineer Etido is not known to fall into this cast. Rather he seems to belong to the mill of John Maxwell’s postulate: “Leaders become great, not because of their power but because of their ability to empower others”.
One of the attributes of a good leader is to identify quality men and assemble them for the task of service delivery. Of course a good leader who is ordained by God is blessed with perceptible insight. Such attribute would enable the leader identify proficient personnel that can add value in the onerous task of governance. When Governor Godswill Akpabio in 2007 poached Schlumberger to bring Engineer Etido Inyang from a well shielded private sector, it may have been in deference to the leadership instinct of assembling and building a good team that would take the State to new heights. Even though he first made him Special Assistant on Technical Matters, Etido’s sterling performance made way for him as he was elevated in 2009 to member of the State Executive Council where he still serves till date and is adjudged as one of the most dependable hands. Governor Akpabio’s action seems to bear reflective hint to former US President, Theodore Roosevelt statement: “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it”. Bringing Etido Inyang on board and elevating him was indeed part of that good sense.
At 50, what qualities identify Etido Inyang and recommend him as the subject of our discourse? John Maxwell in one of his works identifies key areas that reveal themselves in leaders’ lives. According to the book, they include character, relationships, knowledge, intuition, experience, past success and ability. Etido has all the aforementioned and so much more. He possesses humility, compassion, generosity, fear of God and strong sense of empathy. The danger in our leadership spectrum is the absence or complete lack of these attributes. And the difference between Etido and many others is the presence of a rich size of each of the attributes in his fibre which makes him pleasant to deal with at all times.
“Etido Inyang has the heart of an angel. He is easy to work with, easy to stay with and easy to share your sentiments with. His likes are rare”, said Stephen Stephen, a retired Principal-General. According to Mr. Stephen, as a member of Ati-Annang where he was a member of the Exco and Etido the International President, he found him to be an extremely pleasant character and a great leader. Pastor Anietie Ukpe, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Akpabio described Engineer Etido Inyang as a fantastic individual. Ukpe reasoned that Etido is truly living the dictate of his name citing his obsession for doing good as the manifestation. He further stated that Etido is a kind of guy you need in a sinking ship in a battle field when the going is good and when the going is rough noting that he is a stand-up guy who would stand by his friends at all times. He enjoined him to continue in his tradition of selfless service adding that God would certainly reward him with long life, good health and prosperity. Eseme Essien, a commissioner in the State Secondary Education Board described him as a worthy mentor and boss. He said that Engineer Etido Inyang fits succinctly the observation of John Maxwell which notes: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”, concluding that the Special Adviser on Technical Matters has a place in his heart that cares for others. Mr. Root Effiong, a leader of an initiative, Akwa Ibom Good Governance Group, Lagos, once described Etido Inyang as an illustrious Akwa Ibom son that has espoused a leadership standard that others should emulate citing his humility as humbling.
Interestingly eulogies for Etido are unending while alive. And yet his life has just begun at 50. The continuous embellishment of the Special Adviser by people from all walks of life is proof that our public officers are in sustained public scrutiny. In a clime where public office holders are seen as enemies of the people because of their haughty behaviour and brazen impunity, Etido comes across as a relieving difference to this anomaly. He has never been associated with scandal. He is self-effacing and uncontroversial. He is genial and very friendly. During interviews, he is the delight of the Press as he has deep knowledge of his assignment and patient in providing detailed explanation. Unlike other self acclaimed important public office holders who throw their weight around and are contemptuous towards those they consider as lesser beings, Etido is accessible, accommodating and understanding. He listens and addresses complaints in the best manner he could without injuring the sensibilities or bruising the ego of the complainants. Even though he may not have travelled the road of the less privileged, he makes efforts to share their concerns. He acknowledges that people are the greatest asset. This is the mark of a good leader who must be seen to exude influence, not authority as the other ones try to do.
At 50, Engineer Etido Inyang is a success story by any conceivable account. His service to the State has been outstanding. As an alumnus of Harvard Business School complemented with experience from a long stint with Schlumberger, the Bureau of Technical Matters in particular and the State in general has received a boost in proficient service. The infrastructural revolution in the State needed professional monitoring and supervision which the Bureau provided as part of its terms of reference. The Bureau’s work include working with consultants to ensure that designs are appropriate and in line with approved standards; taking inventory of all government projects; assessing levels of funding of government projects and ascertaining whether work done is commensurate with money paid or disbursed. It also has evaluating the professional competence of contractors tendering for jobs as part of its brief. It is difficult to undertake roles such as above without one’s integrity flagging and scandal trailing the office. But not Etido. The numerous completed projects which dot our landscape attest to his competence, diligence, devotion and integrity and define him as an asset of high value to the State. The Federal Government noticed this and appointed him as member, Presidential Projects Assessment Committee between March 2010 and May 2011.
His loyalty and unalloyed commitment to the agenda of Akpabio administration remain unparalleled. Upon joining the team, he quickly internalized the vision of the administration which has culminated in the widely applauded uncommon transformation. His Bureau publishes a resource material which documents most of the high profile infrastructure the State has achieved in the last seven and half years. Such input underscores his quality of mind and the team player that he is.
Engineer Etido Samuel Inyang’s life is difficult to capture in a short treatise without sacrificing major essentials. What yours truly has attempted is to capture a few of the essentials of a life that has been duly used for service, a life that has made service and obsession. At 50, Etido Inyang’s life has expanded the frontiers of service and ventured into the larger coast of kindness and generosity. At 50, he can look back and witness first hand how many have had smiles restored on their faces on account of his efforts; how many have had their forlorn hope repaired; how many have had their despair restored to hope; and they are countless. A man’s worth is not measured by his fat bank account but by his content and how he has impacted those who encounter him. Engineer Etido Inyang’s life is that of unending impact and influence. Yours truly joins his teeming admirers to wish him a happy birthday and a wonderful 2015 from where he would continue to make great positive impact through his creed of service to the State, Nation and humanity.