By Ada Nkong
Chief Paul Joseph Nkong has passed on at the age of 79.
He died on the first of April from complications after a domestic accident.
The late Barrister PJ Nkong was an educator and served several years in the Cross River State ministry of education in different capacities and rose to the rank of Director higher education. As a result, he sat on the board of NCCE, and represented Cross River in JAMB and WAEC at the national level.
He also was on the board of all higher institutions in the state, a position he used to facilitate admission for hundreds of students from around the state, especially those of Northern Cross River State.
As a philanthropist, he opened his doors to and offered shelter to many sons and daughters of the old Ogoja and beyond who came to Calabar for academics or jobs with no shelter, turning his official residence into some kind of hostel.
With a background in physical education, the late Paul Nkong was good at swimming and played lawn tennis recreationally until age interfered. He worked at some point in his career as an inspector in the state sports ministry having served in Sokoto State in the ministry of sports and declined being retained rather opting to come home and build the ministry in his state.
His love for education saw him head back to school to study law towards the end of his career and against all odds, he gained his LLB and was called to the Nigerian bar.
He will be remembered in the society for his humility as well as warm and welcoming nature to all irrespective of tribe or tongue.
His legacy to his large family is the quality of education he offered his children ensuring that all at the time of his death were sufficiently armed to earn a living for themselves.
He will be laid to rest at his home in Ikajor, Ishibori in Ogoja local government area on the 3rd and 4th of April 2024.
Chief Barrister PJ Nkong will be greatly missed by all going by testimonies of the people.
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