A Statesman Formed by Grace and Tempered by Experience, by Rt Hon Eseme Eyiboh

What, then, is the essence of Akpabio at 63? It is a man who has moved from executive power to legislative authority without losing balance. It is a leader who understands that Nigeria needs both builders and statesmen. It is a public figure who views leadership as a covenant with the people, shaped by faith, experience, and service.

His story is not without controversy. No consequential leader escapes scrutiny. Yet when the balance sheet of contribution is examined honestly, the conclusion is unmistakable. He has built. He has stabilised. He has led with purpose.

He embodies, perhaps more than many of his contemporaries, the idea that Nigeria’s future lies in leaders who combine conviction with competence, vision with execution, and spirituality with responsibility.

A Birthday in the Service of the Republic

As Nigeria marks Godswill Akpabio at 63, the nation salutes not merely the man but his journey. It salutes the governor who transformed a state. It salutes the Senate President who steadied the legislature. It salutes a life that has become a reference point in the debate about what genuine leadership can achieve in Nigeria.

His story reminds us that the work of nation-building is neither linear nor effortless. It is sustained labour undertaken by those willing to think boldly, act decisively, and serve faithfully. Nigeria’s next decade demands such leaders—leaders who can build new infrastructure and strengthen existing institutions, inspire hope without losing discipline, and understand that grace, in the quiet hours of power, is both a calling and a responsibility.

At 63, Godswill Akpabio stands as one such leader. The chapters of his life remain open. The responsibilities before him remain weighty. But the foundation he has laid—in concrete and in law, in state and in nation—secures his place in Nigeria’s unfolding story.

May the grace you invoke continue to strengthen the work you do for a country still striving to become the best version of itself. In the biography of our time, you will remain a model and a source of inspiration to many.

Happy birthday, Mr President of the Senate.

Happy birthday, the uncommon statesman.

Happy birthday, Uko Akwa Ibom.

Rt Hon Eseme Eyiboh mnipr is the Special Adviser on Media/Publicity and official Spokesperson to the President of the Senate

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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