OBO Federal Constituency : Introducing Dan Iyo, Man To Look Out For In 2023

Barr. Dan Iyo 

In the current political reality in Cross River North Senatorial District, Obanliku local government is undoubtedly the most deprived of all. The Senatorial district is comprised of five local governments namely ; Obudu, Ogoja, Bekwarra, Obanliku and Yala. 

Obudu currently has a Governor and a serving Minister, Ogoja has a Senator, Bekwarra has a house of Representative member and Yala, on the other hand, held the Senate until two weeks ago when Ogoja man swapped the reps position for the Senate. 

Yala is inadvertently sets to prducce the next member representing Yala/Ogoja federal constituency. Senator Jarigbe Agom who was formerly occupying the office has swapped it for the Senate and the seat has become vacant. 

With Ogoja occupying the Senate now, Yala which is the other local government in the federal constituency will have a solo race to produce the next reps in the forthcoming by-election. By the time the by-election will be over, only Obanliku Local government will continue to be empty without any representation of note. 

This perhaps, has intensified the call that in 2023, the local government should be supported to produce the next member to represent Obudu/Bekwarra/Obanliku federal constituency. The current occopant is Rt. Hon. Legor Idagbo from Bekwarra. He'll be completing his second tenure in 2023. 

Among the three local governments that made up the federal constituency, only Obanliku had done only four years in the house of Representatives. In 2023 when Legor would have clocked eight years, Bekwarra where he comes from would have had it the highest, being that Dr. Mike Ogah was in the house between 1999-2003.  

Ogah handed over to Late Rt. Hon. Paul Adah who hails from Obudu and did eight years between 2003-2011. Adah was succeeded by Rt. Hon. Frank Adah from Obanliku who did only four years between 2011-2015. 

There have been report that Adah who attempted bidding for second term in 2015 was forced out of the race by former Governor Liyel Imoke over minor political differences. Since his unceremonious ousting, the call for Obanliku to be allowed to  do more than a single term as others  have continued to dominate political discourse in the federal constituency. 

Ahead of the 2023 again, several groups and political gladiators have been buzzing and pushing for an Obanliku man to succeed Legor. But the question many have continued to ask is whether there's someone from the local government that has the wherewithal to shoulder the  cross if the position was zoned to Obanliku and the answer is a conspicuous yes. 

The man is Barr. Dan Urubulam Iyo, a dynamic and competent Lawyer with over 15 years experience and proven ability in civil, criminal and corporate practice. For about eleven years now, Iyo has been working with multi-national construction giant, Gitto Construzioni Generali Nigeria Limited as Company Secretary/Legal Adviser. 

Beyond his experience, Iyo has endeared himself to the people with his lifetime philanthropism. For over eleven years now, he reorganized his philanthropic gesture through his Dan & Marian Iyo Foundation. The foundation focuses on providing scholarship for less privilege children in his home local government in Obanliku, sponsor people of Obanliku decent to law school, catter for widows and orphans, etc. 

Between 2009 till date when he started the foundation, he  has sponsored not fewer than hundred people in tertiary institutions and has set up businesses for numerous widows. More than twenty others are currently under his payroll. Most of these people, he doesn't know them and have never met them. 

To show that he wasn't doing any of these for the camera, he always forbids people from talking about his good works in the media which is why not much has been heard of his philanthropism even though it has stretched for over a decade. 

For someone who has not held any political office to be investing his private resources in building other young people without any expectation or asking people to be singing his praises in an era where sycophancy is booming is rare. Dan has done this for years. 

Similarly, with the call for more professions to join politics against the backdrop of having profession politicians dominate the political space and the agitation for Obanliku to be allowed to enjoy the house of representatives seat like other local government, Dan thick all the boxes. It's not a coincident that a lot of people have identified him as the ideal man for the job in 2023. 

As the race draws closer, there'll be a lot of intrigues but Barr. Dan is sure the man to look out for the Obudu/Bekwarra /Obanliku federal constituency.