A former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national publicity secretary, Hon. Emmanuel Awhan Ibeshi, has explained why he entered next year’s gubernatorial contest in Cross River State.In a chat with journalists, he summed up his vision: “To live up to its name, the People’s Paradise, Cross River State, needs more than just an ambitious politician or a political jobber, especially at this point in time when the state is anything but a paradise.
“This is more of a rescue situation that I find myself trying to do. And again, PDP has never lost elections in Cross River. We have always been the winning party. I am pathetically PDP in nature, no matter what has happened and that is the reason after listening to a couple of young men, going to the National Secretariat to demonstrate the way they did recently, I had to think seriously about taking the gauntlet. That is why i came to here to start with you journalists and to ask for your support and assistance so that we can run this together. That is my short story.”
Ibeshi teaches leadership at the prestigious faith-based Haggai Institute in Hawaii, USA (2006 to date). He is a distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria.His leadership qualities first manifested in 1984 at the University of Lagos where he did his national youth service. He served as Stage Manager at the Center For Cultural Studies, UNILAG where he co-founded Theatre 15. It was a foremost workshop in the centre that has metamorphosed into a full-fledged Department of Creative Arts in the university.
He was the first National Treasurer of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) headquartered in Sweden. The chamber was founded by a Swede, Gunner Olson, who had a passion for Christian ideals laced with leadership qualities in the marketplace.He had a stint in the banking industry where he served in the Federal Mortgage Bank as Corporate Affairs Manager. His relentless zeal for quality leadership and ethical values led him into the murky waters of politics in 1992. He was elected into the Federal House of Representatives in 1992. He served as the House Committee Chairman of Banking and Currency until the military coup of 1993 that scuttled the Third Republic.
He was the gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2007. Ibeshi is the Chairman, Board of Directors, Andelsta Group comprising several subsidiaries. One is Andelsta Limited, an indigenous environmental research and management company. The company facilitates and executes projects in oil and non-oil impacted communities, neighborhoods, urban and semi-urban areas.
As President of Initiative For Prevention of Malaria (IPM), Ibeshi offers scholarships to orphans and indigent people. He also constantly provides job opportunities to young people. Others are Emerald Input Resource Center, Cedar Specialist Hospital, Andelsta Farms and Resort, Andelsta Properties and Glory Sports Academy.Ibeshi is also the Chairman of Celandy Projects Consults, a firm that has midwifed many projects for the Federal Government and private organizations on how best to attract high skilled Nigerians in diaspora and within the country to engage in meaningful collaboration for corporate Nigeria as well as how to evolve a new social contract for the country in the 21st century.He has facilitated many leadership and management courses, workshops and seminars in the USA, Europe, and Africa.
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