By IDORENYIN UMOREN, Uyo
People deploy the word Juggernaut to describe anyone or anything that seems unstoppable, powerful, dominant. It also means a massive force. For example, World Cup football winners are Juggernauts. A National Economic Council director can also be described as a “Policymaking Juggernaut.”
It is on record that the online retailer, Amazon, is also referred to as a Juggernaut. Tennis player Roger Federer is a Juggernaut at Wimbledon. In Marvel Comics there is a supervillain named Juggernaut that possess seemingly infinite strength and invincibility.
The word, with its double hard g’s in the middle and the same final syllable as “astronaut,” is fun to say and connotes an individual bigger than our world. This makes sense because the word “Juggernaut” is the product of the collision between two forces, an encounter between two worlds: the English-speaking West and India.
This word Juggernaut is perfectly in order to describe Distinguished Senator Effiong Dickson Bob, who is the Political Leader of Akwa Ibom North East (Uyo) Senatorial District and also a respect elder of the Akwa Ibom State People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Senator Effiong Bob, winner of Chief Chris Ogunbanjo’s Scholarship Prize in LLB (Part 2) as overall best student, having regard also to the performance in Land Law and Commercial Transactions, was born on October 1, 1959 into the family of Chief Dickson Bob in Ikot Ekwere Ubium in what is today Nsit Ubium local government area.
Young Effiong Bob began formal education at Government Primary School, Ikot Ekwere in 1965 and passed out in 1971 with the First School Leaving Certificate. Not satisfied with just a First School Leaving Certificate, Effiong Dickson Bob enrolled into the Salvation Army Secondary School, Akai Ubium in 1973. In 1977, he passed out with the West Africa School Certificate. He proceeded to the School of Arts and Science, Uyo in 1977 from where he graduated with the General Certificate of Education (A Level) in 1979.
Equipped with the West Africa School Certificate and the General Certificate of Education (A Level), Effiong Dickson Bob was ready to pursue higher education. In 1980, he gained admission into the prestigious University of Lagos to read law.
In demonstration of his brilliance, he won the Chief Chris Ogunbanjo’s Scholarship Prize in LLB (Part 2). Effiong Bob graduated in 1983 with the LLB Honours Degree.
He proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1984. The stage was then set for him to practice the profession of law.
During the one year National Youth Service Corps programme, Senator Bob served in Chief A. A. Oguntuwashe’s Chambers in Ado – Ekiti in today’s Ekiti State.
The Distinguished Senator was the pioneer Secretary, Land Allocation Advisory Committee, Ikot Ekpene local government area between 1979 and 1980.
In 1985, he was with G. A. Ikott & Co Legal Practitioners in Eket. He remained there till 1987 when he founded Effiong Bob & Associates Legal Practitioners. He is the Principal Partner of the law firm.
In the area of politics and service to the people, Senator Effiong Bob has traversed the three arms of government – the executive, legislature and judiciary and has also served in the three tiers of government – the local, state and federal levels. By these, Bob can be described as a political juggernaut.
He was Supervisory Councillor for Works and Transport, Nsit Ubium local government council in 1990.
In 1992, he was elected a member of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. During the period between 1992 and 1993, his colleagues found him worthy to be elected Deputy Speaker of the first Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. Within that period, Senator Effiong Bob served as Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts; member, House Committee on Industries and member, House Committee on Human Rights and Public Petitions.
In 1996, the people of Nsit Ubium local government area elected Senator Effiong Bob Chairman of Nsit Ubium local government council, a position he held till 1997.
When democracy returned to Nigeria in 1999, Senator Bob was appointed Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Akwa Ibom State between 1999 and 2002. In that office, he served in various capacities some of which included member, Council of Legal Education (Nigerian Law School), member, Committee on Recruitment and Discipline (Nigerian Law School), member Body of Attorneys-General in the Federation, member, Body of Benchers and member, Akwa Ibom State Judicial Service Commission.
During the period, he served as Director, Anchor Insurance Company Limited and Director, Akwa Savings & Loans Limited.
In the build up to the 2003 general elections, Senator Effiong Bob resigned his appointment as Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Akwa Ibom State and sought the mandate of the people of Uyo Senatorial District to represent them in the Senate of the Federal Republic. He was overwhelmingly given that mandate in 2003. That mandate was renewed in 2007, an indication of the trust and confidence reposed in him by the people of the senatorial district.
Between 2003 and 2011, Senator Effiong Bob served in the following Senate Committees; he was Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Chairman, Committee on Senate Services and Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism. He was Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Power and Steel, and Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts as well as Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee Investigating Illegal Withdrawals from the Excess Crude Fund without Authorization of the National Assembly.
Senator Effiong Dickson Bob was member of the delegation that witnessed the signing of the final exit of the Paris Club debt in Paris, France. He was a member of the ECOWAS Parliament and represented Nigeria in the Parliament for eight years.
While in the Senate, he served in the following committees of the Senate; member Appropriations, member Committee on Air Force, member, Committee on Communications, member, Committee on Education and member, Committee on Privatization. Others included member, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services, member, Senate Committee on Senate Services, member, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Sub-Committee Chairman, Christian Pilgrims Committee and member, Senate Committee on Information.
Bob, a philanthropist, grassroot politician who represented Uyo Senatorial District between 2003 and 2011 in the Senate 2022 declared his interest to contest the gubernatorial election on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023. He however, withdrew this aspiration and fully backed his brother, Pastor Umo Eno, for the governorship election. Pastor Eno won and was sworn in on May 29, 2023 as the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
For Bob who’s been on ground, politically, for over three decades; gathering the needed experiences, making observations and building momentum; leadership isn’t about competition or a contest where athletes strive to be better than the other but rather, a means of reaching out to the people.
In one of his interactions about his perception of government Senator Bob was saddened that “no one wants to continue from where the other person stopped; everyone wants everything to be named after him but what is right must be done. If a project is not completed by a particular government, the incoming government must be able to do that because it is in the state. If you stop completing another administration’s project because it was Initiated by another person, it is a waste because it is the money of the state that was used to Initiate the project, and so the project must go on, that’s my believe about governance.
As a man of measured words, Senator Bob prefers to be seen more in action through his works and less through his speeches.
Bob had personally ensured the provision of transformers and subsequent electrification of 5 villages in his community, as well as the provision of boreholes in those places.
He had also facilitated the construction of motorable roads for easy access and thus, creating a linkage with neighboring villages and communities in his Local Government Area.
Bob also facilitated the construction of motorable roads, including the construction of Nung Udoe/Ikot Ubo road which is serving as a means of accessing Eket, Ibesikpo Asutan, Uyo, Uruan, Esit Eket, Oron and Ikot Abasi.
Senator Effiong Bob has a wide range of experience in leadership positions. He was Chairman, National Assembly Caucus, Akwa Ibom State. This included senators and House of Representatives members; member, South-South Caucus in the Senate and member, South Senators Forum.
Senator Bob was at a time a member, National Executive Committee, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He is Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Nigeria. He was Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Benin.
Bob is Chairman, Board of Trustees, Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Chairman, LEENDFORD Group Limited and Chairman, Comfort 95.1FM, Uyo. He is a member of the Board of Trustees, UNILAG Law Class of 1983, Member Board of Trustees Nigerian Law School Set of 1984 and Chairman, University of Lagos Alumni Association, Uyo Branch.
Senator Bob who is married to Mrs. Comfort Bob and has three children has the following publications to his credit; Independence of the Legislature In Nigeria: Matters Arising (2010) and Law Making, Good Governance and Administration Of Justice In Nigeria – Edited by Dr F. O. Ojeih and F. J. Oniekoro. There is also an essay written in his honour, THE JUSTITIA , it is edited by Dr. Osaretin George Izevbuwa.
Many Akwa Ibom sons and daughters gained employment in the federal civil service, while others gained admissions and employments, in the University of Benin, where he was the Chairman of the Governing Council.
Senator Bob supported His Excellency Obong Victor Attah, throughout his eight-year tenure as governor of Akwa Ibom, worked for and supported His Excellency, Senate President, Chief Dr Godswill Akpabio (CON) during his tenure for eight years too. He also extended this gesture to His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel during his two terms as governor. And now a strong supporter of his junior brother, the Akwa Ibom Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, by giving His Excellency the needed political backing, loyalty and support.
And in view of his political sagacity, exposure and wealth of experience, the people of Akwa Ibom North-East (Uyo) Senatorial District unanimously made him their POLITICAL LEADER.
Finally perhaps, it will be safe to say that Senator Effiong Dickson Bob not ony has the stuff of a political juggernaut but also the stuff that leaders are made of.
*With additional information from ANIETIE AKPAN
