Ekpenyong Asuquo
Ekpenyong Asuquo is a Nigerian politician from Cross River. They have contested 1 election (1 win) across 1 party. Most recent: 2023 Nigerian Senate Elections as All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
Biography
Asuquo Ekpenyong (born 25 August 1985) is a Nigerian politician and financial analyst. He is the former Cross River State Commissioner for Finance and is currently the senator representing Cross River South senatorial district and the youngest Senator in the Nigerian Senate.
Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr was born into the family of Chief Dr. Asuquo Ekpenyong and Dr. Mrs. Iquo Ekpenyong. He did his secondary education at King's College Lagos and further obtained a degree in Economics from the University of Reading in 2007 and a master's degree in International Banking and Financial Services in 2008.
Asuquo Ekpenyong worked as a financial analyst in Lagos and then moved to Cross River where he worked for two years as a lecturer in the Banking and Finance Department of the University of Calabar.
He established Iquasu Ventures Limited, a haulage and logistics company, in 2010 and later took over as Managing Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licensed Chamley Bureau de Change Limited.
Asuquo was later appointed Executive Director for Finance at Pearland Energy, an indigenous Oil and Gas company, and a member of the board of directors at Ekondo Microfinance Bank Limited.
In December 2015, Asuquo was appointed Cross River State Commissioner for Finance by Governor Benedict Ayade at the age of 29, making him the youngest commissioner in Nigeria. He is the longest serving commissioner for Finance in Cross River State.
In 2018, Asuquo was appointed Commissioner for Transport and Marine Services following the resignation of Mr. Savior Nyong to contest the 2019 elections.
Asuquo resigned as Commissioner for Finance and joined the race for governorship of Cross River State in the 2023 Cross River State gubernatorial election and was a leading aspirant until the emergence of Senator Bassey Otu as the consensus candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
In May 2022, Asuquo Ekpenyong emerged winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primaries with 347 votes out of 351 accredited voters. He subsequently went on to win the Federal Senatorial seat representing Cross River South Senatorial District in the 10th Nigerian Senate in February 2023.
He was named the chairman, Senate committee on NDDC of the 10th senate on 8 August 2023.
Asuquo Ekpenyong married Netanela Duke Ekpenyong, the second daughter of ex-governor Donald Duke, in 2018, and they have two children together.
Political Career
Party Positions
Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.
Agriculture
Launches the Irrigate Nigeria Project as a public-private partnership to develop small-scale irrigation and water catchment systems using modern technology to boost agricultural productivity.
Security & Defense
Will deploy modern aerial surveillance and advanced technology to monitor and deter intrusions into oil pipelines, power stations, and other critical national infrastructure in real time.
Environment & Climate
Accelerates the environmental cleanup and re-establishment of fisheries and profitable aquacultural activities in the Niger-Delta region to counter violent extremism and poverty-driven disaffection.
Economy & Trade
Will implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and additional favorable policies to attract investment in deep-water assets within 6 months, including encouraging signature bonus negotiations and royalty reliefs.
Infrastructure
Creates regional industrial hubs in specific zones (North West, North East, South East, South South, South West, North Central) to focus on labor-intensive manufacturing, with tailored investments (e.g., textiles, dry ports, glass, pottery, solid minerals, regulated mining).
Enterprise grant support
Work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to simplify loan processes for commercial banks, mandate federally owned banks to provide low-cost loans to youth-led enterprises, and expand business incubation centers to support youth innovation.
Energy
Will mandate gas metering equipment on all facilities where gas flaring occurs within 6 months and establish a special enforcement unit to monitor compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on gas flaring reduction, with non-compliance leading to financial penalties for affected communities.
Governance & Reform
Reserve at least 3 cabinet positions for individuals under 40 and 6 more positions for members under the age of 40, and mandate that at least 20% of political appointments to Ministries/Dangomas (MDAs) be reserved for individuals under 40.
Education
Raises the priority of addressing out-of-school children, establishes a task force to review and strengthen programs like school feeding, and aims to reduce disaffected youth recruitment by violent groups.
Healthcare
Will establish a network of upgraded, equipped, and staffed general hospitals in every Local Government Area, tertiary facilities in each State, and world-class specialist hospitals in each geo-political zone to improve healthcare accessibility and quality.
Technology & Digital
Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.
Reliefs and scholarships
Commits to a conditional income support program requiring recipients to meet human capital goals (school attendance, healthcare, nutrition) in exchange for payments.
