Emelayo Nwosu
As President, Ekwerazu Student Association, ESA, University of Nigeria, in the early 90s, Ken Agbim led the sons and daughters from that part of Mbaise, bringing them together and making them know the reason why their families sent them to that great citadel of learning. That association provided Ekwerazu students, many of whom were born in the cities, attended primary and secondary schools in the cities before their admission into the UNN, an opportunity to interact with their brothers and sisters. The ESA created a bond that held these young fellows together and ensured they did not derail in their academic pursuit. Of note is the fact the late Prof. D. I. Nwoga and Prof. Iheanacho Egeonu, former Commissioner for Education in Imo State, among others, were patrons of the Ekwerazu Students’ Association at the time. Although Ken Agbim was just one of the presidents led ESA, his tenure is regarded as one of the best.
Even in departmental politics, Ken Agbim responded to his political calling when, around 1992, he contested and won the position of Financial Secretary of the Mass Communication Association, UNN, becoming a leading member in one of the most popular student bodies at the institution.
His student politics did not end at departmental and faculty levels. In 1993, he contested and won the position of Director of Socials in the Students Union Government (DOS/SUG), UNN. To put the DOS/SUG, UNN position into perspective, we have to be reminded that the irrepressible Prof. Pat Utomi held that same position as student of University of Nigeria.
Ichie Ken Agbim’s entry into national politics was not, therefore, a surprise to those who knew his student union activities in those years. He did not break off on tangent–so to speak–to jump into politics because of the lure of public funds, which is the main attraction in Nigeria’s contemporary politics. His is a well cleared path, carved out for himself over the years, even before those who are in the same race with him cut their political tooth.
Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, Second Class (Upper Division) in Mass Communication, UNN, Ken Agbim went for the compulsory one-year national service in Lagos. He had a short stint, working at an advertising firm.
After his stint in advertising and marketing, in 2003, he joined GlaxoSmithkline(GSK) Nigeria Cx. as Senior Brand Manager Nutritionals. He was in charge of Lucozade Energy Drinks and grew the Brand from 700m to N4. 7B within four years.
In 2008, Ken Agbim was head hunted by Novartis Pharmacuauticals AG, another Pharmacuautical multinational. He joined the company as Marketing Manager, English Speaking West Africa.
He spent two years with the company before joining BrightStar Telecoms, the global sole distributors of BlackBerry as Marketing Director West,East and Central Africa, WECA.
He registered Boom Productions Ltd in 2007 as a Marketing Communications firm with focus on Consulting, Events Management and Radio and Television Content Productions . The firm had programmes like Artist Zone, Boom Sports and Cartoons like Time Warp Trio, running on various television stations. The firms’ clients included UAC Foods, GSK , Guinness and Unilever.
The urge to serve his people, like a centifugal force, was strong on Ken Agbim and pulled him to contest for the Ahiazu Mbaise State Assembly seat. He won the election and represented Ahiazu State Constituency in the Imo State House Assembly from 2015 to 2019, where he served as Minority Leader.
At the end of that period, Hon. Agbim, unlike some others who have been parambulating on the corridors of power after their tenure, dusted his books and returned to the class.
He studied and obtained a masters degree from Imo State University, Owerri, with distinction, and a PhD, also from Imo State University, Owerri, in Mass Communications and Media Management.
With many years of experience in marketing communications and brand management, Hon. Agbim is seen as an enviable political asset. He is also a research scholar and an entrepreneur who will bring his expertise to bear on any position he occupies.
He has, therefore, thrown his hat in the ring again to contest for the Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency. He is running for the position on the platform of the Action People’s Party, APP.
With his experience, Ken Agbim stands as a strong candidate from Ekwerazu, whose turn it is to produce the next representative for the Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency. After the two-term tenure of Hon. Martins Emeka Chinedu from Ezinihitte, the consensus of the people–and rightly too–is that Ekwerazu would produce the next representative for the constituency.
Hon. Ichie Ken Agbim, PhD, was born on March 13, 1970. He is from Ogbor Ihitteaforukwu, Ekwerazu, Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area, Imo State. That’s why the odds favour him.
During his tenure in the House of Assembly, he spoke strongly for his constituency and offered effective representation. He was effective in lawmaking, raising many motions. These included a motion calling on the State Chief Judge to appoint a judge for Ahiazu Mbaise High Court, which had no judge at the time. He followed the motion up and ensured that a High Court Judge was eventually posted to Ahiazu High Court. He also raised a motion calling on the Commissioner of Police to dismantle numerous police roadblocks along the Owerri–Mbaise–Umuahia Road.
Hon. Agbim sponsored a bill to ban the activities of miscreants who demanded “marching ground” fees from land developers and other related matters. This was aimed at ending the ugly phenomenon, which tended to stymie housing development, discourage investors and create a negative image for Imo State.
He also offered annual scholarships to secondary school students, sponsored and organised football competitions among youths in Ahiazu. Perhaps his most notable achievement as an honourable member of the Imo SHOA was the building of a 100-capacity ICT centre within the Ahiazu Local Government headquarters. It is on record that Hon. Ken Agbim is the only House of Assembly member, past or present, to have built such a structure in the local government.
He also assisted constituents to gain employment in the State Civil Service.
In 2018, with the support of late Eze Oleka of Oru, he resolved the misunderstanding between Ahiazu Mbaise and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, which led to one of the worst electricity black-outs in area. The outcome of that intervention was the upgrade and changing of transformers in Ahiazu Mbaise
Hon. Ken Agbim identifies poor road network, unemployment and poor medical facilities as major challenges facing the Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency. He has pledged to take up these issues as peremptory tasks when elected into the National Assembly in 2027.
He says his focus at the House of Representatives will be human capital development through special education funds and creation of an employment desk in his constituency office to capture unemployed youths in a database for easy identification and deployment once employment opportunities come up.
He is also promising the creation of an agriculture desk to support farmers with special funds, improved seedlings, and education on the use of technology to improve farming.
Realizing that he would need deliberate collaborative efforts to achieve these goals, Hon. Agbim says he will build bipartisan relationships with his colleagues in order to access opportunities when they come.
The other strategy he plans to adopt is regular interface with various ministries and agencies such as the NDDC, South East Development Commission and the Imo River Basin Authority to tap into programmes that will benefit his constituency.
He also says he will make judicious appropriation of constituency funds to address the pressing needs of each of the 24 wards in the federal constituency.
Hon. Agbim calls on people of the Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency to trust him because he has been tested in the past and because he is credible with good character and conscience.
He has provided yardstick for measuring his success in office through the following
These include number of bills and positive motions he raises and the number of projects he attracts and completes.
Agbim also wants to be judged by the number of people whose employment he will facilitate, the number of health centres he will give support with basic supplies, whether monthly, annually, or as needed as well as the number of farmers he supports.
The APP Reps candidate says he will be accessible through mmediate establishment of a constituency office with a health desk, education desk, employment desk, and agriculture desk.
Other plans for engagement with his constituents include annual briefing and retaining current phone numbers for ease of accessibilities.
Ken Agbim has urged voters to choose him because he believes–and the Ahiazu/Ezinihitte electorate knows–that he is one of the most experienced candidates in the race, one of the most educated, widely known in the constituency and because of grassroots relationships across party lines built over the years he has been in the political space.
The clarity of his vision is not in doubt. This is seen in the priorities he has set for himself as he solicits the mandate of his people to represent them at the federal legislature.
Thus, he has promised to prioritize the abolition of the state-of-origin system in Nigeria. Ken Agbim also intends to pursue a review of the recently enacted tax reforms relating to taxes on interbank transfers and financial transactions.
He is also promising to support the establishment of State Police and Forest Guards and reorganisation of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to make it more effective, responsive, and better positioned to address unemployment.
The 56-year House of Representatives hopeful intends to leverage on his legislative experience to attract federal opportunities and development projects to Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise. He knows the imperative of working closely with the leadership of the House of Representatives and supporting the emergence of effective leadership that will foster constructive working relationships. This, for observers of workings of the legislature, is an effective game plan.
Dr. Ken Agbim understands that any feud with the leadership of the House of Representative will not not only create disaffection for him, but will also cause deprivation of opportunities for his constituents. So, when he says he will maintaining cordial relationships with the House leadership in order to enhance opportunities for committee assignments and effective legislative engagement, he knows what he is doing.
Added to these is his plan to maintain regular interaction with federal ministries, departments, and agencies to secure employment opportunities, constituency projects, contracts, and other federal interventions for the constituency.
He has also said he will sustain engagement with institutions such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the South East Development Commission (SEDC), and the Imo and Anambra River Basin Development Authorities to maximise development opportunities for Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency.
For his oversight functions, Ichie Ken Agbim says he will ensure thorough budget scrutiny and appropriation of ministries, departments, and agencies under committees on which he will serve as an honourable member of the National Assembly.
Other components of the oversight duties he has mapped out for himself are regular inspection visits to projects being executed by MDAs to ensure compliance and periodic invitations to the leadership of MDAs to provide briefings, explain project implementation, and account for the utilisation of public resources.
For the people of Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency this is an opportunity to either choose between a technocrat, driven by altruism and public interest, or a political jobber whose motivation is personal aggrandizement and greed.
I trust they will choose right.
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