There is no work more noble than serving your country- Amb Ekpa
Oru Leonard
Former Permanent Secretary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ambassador Anthonia Akpabio Ekpa (PhD), a recipient of national award of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), has said that there is no work more noble than serving your country.
Amb. Ekpa, who said she was stunned by the news of award as she was not expecting any of such national honour, was among 447 nominees conferred with national honour awards by President Muhammadu Buhari on October 11, 2022.
However, she described the award as a reward from God, expressing surprise at the gesture just as she insisted that she knew nothing about the award and was not expecting it.
“Let me say that we are just five Permanent Secretaries that were given award, some for long service, but majority for having served the country as Perm Sec and for just doing the right thing.
“I want to emphasize that I knew nothing about the nomination, I was just sitting in my house and was called to say there is a letter for me and I was quite stunned because I didn’t expect it. But I think first and foremost it is God’s own reward because all good gifts around us are from God.
“Without sounding like one wants to praise oneself, I want to say that I gave everything. I gave everything of my intellect, I gave everything of my passion, and whereas it was possible for me to use my office wrongly, but I stuck to the values of public service and I believe that there is no work more noble than serving your country.
“Leaving the university as an academic into the public service, I read the rules and I stuck to the rules, and I knew that if we abided by the rules, the public service would be the best place to work” she said.
The 2022 list of national honour awardees includes politicians, public officers, security officials, diplomats, academia, businessmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders and legal practitioners among others, having the GCON with five recipients; CFR, 54; CON, 67; OFR, 64; OON, 101; MFR, 75; MON 56; FRM, 8.
Ekpa variously described in the civil service circle as a renowned reformer and team player, brought her passion in gender and women to bear as Perm Sec in Women Affairs Ministry, which helped to seamlessly realize the agenda of government in the ministry.
The team player attributes of the Cross River born civil servant was most probably what made Federal Government to send her to the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, where the mission and vision requires the ministry to interact and work in synergy with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Ambassador Ekpa hails from Calabar in Cross River State. She attended the University of Calabar, Cross River State. She was also at University of Ibadan where she bagged a PhD in English and Literary Arts and Gender Studies respectively.
The quest for more knowledge made her go across the shores of Nigeria to the University of Birmingham, England where she specialized in Policy Analysis and Public Sector Reforms.
Ambassador Antonia Ekpa is married with children.
