By Abasiama Etukakpan
When national conversations turn to revenue sharing, derivation, and fiscal efficiency, Akwa Ibom State has one steady voice in the room. That one voice is Barr. Imo Effiong Akpan.
As the Federal Commissioner representing Akwa Ibom State on the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, Barr. Akpan brings together two things that matter in Abuja boardrooms: legal precision and grassroots understanding.
Barr. Akpan is an illustrious son of Ikono LGA, a lawyer by training and a long-standing chieftain of the APC in Akwa Ibom. His political consistency earned him recognition after the 2023 elections first as *Special Adviser to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON*, and subsequently as Akwa Ibom’s representative at RMAFC.
Akwa Ibom people and Nigerians described his appointment as timely. At a time when states are demanding greater transparency in how the Federation Account is managed, Akwa Ibom needed someone who understands both the law and the politics of revenue.
RMAFC is not an agency that makes daily headlines. Its work is technical, constitutional, and cyclical. It reviews allocation formulas, monitors what comes into the Federation Account, determines remuneration for public office holders, and advises all tiers of government on fiscal discipline.
For Barr. Akpan, that mandate translates to three priorities for Akwa Ibom, ensuring that oil, gas, and non-oil revenues due to the Federation Account are properly reported so that Akwa Ibom receives its full statutory share, including the 13% derivation that funds critical infrastructure.
His legal background shapes how he approaches debates with emphasis on constitutional provisions, documentation, and precedents. This has made him a voice for clarity whenever allocation disputes arise.
Barr. Akpan has consistently pushed for the domestication of RMAFC’s mandates in Akwa Ibom. That means closer coordination with the state government, traditional institutions, and stakeholders to ensure federal fiscal decisions reflect local realities from rural roads to youths .
Unlike the typical Abuja posture, Barr. Akpan has kept the door open back home.
Very recently, he led an RMAFC delegation on a courtesy visit to *Governor Pastor Umo Eno, Ph.D.* in Uyo as part of the commission’s *National Data Verification Exercise*. The delegation included federal commissioners from Lagos, Benue, Kebbi, and Yobe.
The visit wasn’t just protocol. Teams were taken around project sites to see the *AR ISE Agenda* in action, and the engagement ended with a government-hosted reception. According to Barr. Akpan, hosting these national programmes in Akwa Ibom serves a dual purpose: it strengthens fiscal data collection and it showcases the state’s hospitality and tourism assets to federal decision-makers.
He credits the opportunity to the trust placed in him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, noting that Akwa Ibom’s interests must always be placed “at a premium” in national discussions.
Those who work with him at the commission describe Barr. Akpan as consultative and detail-driven gentleman. In a body where 36 states plus the FCT must agree on formulas that affect billions, his preference for consensus-building has become an asset.
He is also known for mentorship and community support. Beyond RMAFC, he has facilitated employment opportunities for many Akwa Ibom people across federal MDAs, parastatals, and agencies an extension of his belief that leadership must “carry everyone along.”
For Akwa Ibom, fiscal advocacy is not abstract. Derivation funds, budget support, and equitable allocation directly determine how far the state can go on healthcare, education, roads, and job creation.
With Barr. Imo Akpan at the table, the state has a representative who argues with law, negotiates with data, and reports back with loyalty to home.
As Nigeria continues to reform its fiscal framework, Akwa Ibom’s place at that table and the steady hands representing it will define how much of the national sharing translates into development at home.
