In Nigeria’s National Assembly, many lawmakers are remembered for the number of times they speak. But in Obanliku, Obudu and Bekwarra Federal Constituency, constituents of Hon. Peter Akpanke are beginning to measure representation by something different: depth, presence, and results.
As a young lawmaker, he is carving a niche not just as a voice in Abuja, but as a bridge between policy and people. His record so far is a mix of Bills, Motions, Petitions and direct interventions which tells the story of a representative who understands that legislative depth must walk hand-in-hand with constituency consciousness.
The clearest sign of Akpanke’s strategic vision is his Bill for the Establishment of the Federal University of Technology, Obanliku. For decades, Northern Cross River has cried out for a federal institution. The proposed university is not just about classrooms. It is about federal presence, skilled jobs for indigenes, contracts for local businesses, and a new pipeline for young people who currently travel hundreds of kilometers for specialised education.
“If we get this university, we are not just getting a school. We are getting an economy,” a community leader in Obanliku noted. The Bill positions Akpanke as a lawmaker thinking beyond one tenure but planting infrastructure that will outlive him.
Akpanke has also turned attention to the economy and security of his people. He moved a Motion for the rehabilitation of the Obudu Dam Resort, once a pride of Nigeria’s tourism sector. The resort, if revived, could attract tourists, create jobs for youths and hoteliers, and revive the local economy that has suffered from neglect and insecurity.
But it is on the issue of territory that Akpanke has shown the fiercest resolve. He co-sponsored two critical motions: one on the potential loss of Cross River territory to Cameroon, and another on demarcation and opposition to ceding Danare and Biajua communities.
At a time when border communities live in fear of displacement, his intervention sent a clear message: Cross River’s land and people will be defended in the chambers of power.
Legislation, for Akpanke, is not only about big projects. It is also about individuals. He stood for students of the University of Calabar through a *Petition on behalf of students unjustly withdrawn from UNICAL*, and a *Motion addressing the spate of kidnappings around the institution*. For parents in Obudu, Obanliku and Bekwarra who send their children to UNICAL, those interventions matter more than any headline.
In another bold move, his Motion on the indiscriminate issuance of Certificates of No Objection forced the Bureau of Public Procurement to answer questions. The motion challenged loopholes in public procurement and demanded transparency in how government contracts are awarded. This is a direct attack on the “business as usual” that bleeds public funds.
As the 10th Assembly continues, all eyes will be on whether the Federal University Bill scales through, whether Obudu Ranch gets a new lease of life, and whether border communities get the protection they deserve.
But one thing is already clear in Obanliku, Obudu and Bekwarra that their representative has decided that lawmaking is not an abstract duty. It is about schools, hospitals, borders, jobs and people.
