Emmnuel Akpakwu: The man with a Midas touch

In the words of Debi Mazer, “a hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit, who just tries to give back as much as possible and help people.”

By these yardsticks, we would find Consul Emmanuel Akpakwu a ready-made candidate.

Known to many as the Chairman of Alliance in Motion Global Nigeria and CEO, Dakinda Group of Companies, Akpakwu, who is also  the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Philippines at the Lagos, Nigeria consulate of the Southeast Asia country, is in all ramifications an epitome of a hero.

His tapestry of success cloaked a backstory of a humble beginning, of an Okpokwu-born dream chaser who had his fair share of the hard knock life, but by dint of hard work, resilience and resourcefulness was able to beat the odds of life as he went through a seamless metamorphosis, from a sports administrator to an entrepreneur and investor, whose interests include entertainment, transport, tech start-ups, health and wealth creation.

What’s more, he has a testament that is hard to debunk: his various businesses are flourishing.

Amb. Akpakwu, a computer/software engineer and ICT consultant by profession, had his early education in Ogoja, Cross River State, at Army Day Primary School (1978-82) and Army Day Secondary School (1984-90) respectively. His tertiary education was at Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, (1991-94) before he travelled to Dubai, UAE, for further studies at Centre for Computer Engineering  (2000-01) and Site Power Institute of Technology (2001-02).

Besides his scholarly disposition, he has global business connections, and this he has brought to bear on the development of his  community, and Idomaland in general, in a rare display of benevolence and patriotism.

Channeling his altruism through Dakinda Foundation and Ojilima Women Foundation, he has, for years now, been providing scholarships to students to study at home and abroad.  His free medical care programme in rural communities has recorded over 1,374 surgical operations in various ailments, in addition to free drugs and other treatments. And in December 2020, Ojilima Hospital, built by Consul Akpakwu was commissioned by the Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Center, Dr. Paul Enenche.

The  ultra modern health facility was located in Ai’chochodo community in Ugbokolo Edumoga, Okpokwu LGA, Benue State. That was not all that the Consul did; he also provided boreholes and electricity for two other communities.

In the critical area of youth empowerment, Hon. Akpakwu had provided directly or facilitated employments for thousands of youths across the country through his Ediegro Investment Limited (a real estate firm based in Makurdi, Benue State Capital), Dakinda Cabs (a taxi company in Abuja), Powerporte, and his other numerous business concerns.

Since 2000, he has been a facilitator of foreign admissions and scholarships for Nigerian students, particularly in Malaysia.

His ownership of a football club in Europe―the first African with the feat―is also a further testament of his selfless service, as his club in Nigeria feeds the European club with talents, offering lifelines to teeming Nigerian youths seeking a more rewarding soccer career in the football capitals of Europe.

In March 2020, Emmanuel Akpakwu made history as the first Nigerian to be appointed as Honorary Consul by the Republic of Philippines to its Nigerian consulate in Lagos.

He is also a recipient of the Global Peace Ambassador award.

He has hundreds of local and international awards under his belt, all in recognition of his philanthropic works, global business exploits, community services and development strides.

It was in recognition of his unrivalled contributions  to the development of Idomaland that Mr. Akpakwu was in January 2021, named IDOMA VOICE Man Of The Year.