Iniobong Ekponta is the Akwa Ibom State Correspondent for Leadership Newspaper, with over 20 years of experience across Nigerian media including The Comet, The Nation, The Moment, The Union, and Tribune. He holds an HND in Mass Communication from the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Conflict Studies from the University of Uyo. He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Diplomacy and Management, and specialises in governance, politics, security, and social affairs.