…As Lady Helen Obareki is set to host her 1st Anniversary on Thursday 20th Feb., 2025
By: Solomon Essiet
“Carve your name in hearts not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” Shannon L. Alder
As part of the preparations towards the celebration of the 1st Anniversary of the Golden Initiative For All (GIFA), the pet project of our First Lady who has gone to be with the Lord, Pastor Patience Umo Eno, the Coordinator of the office of the First Lady and First Lady Designate Lady Helen Obareki, has traverse the length and breath of the State to impact lives in commemoration of the 1st Anniversary and Posthumous Birthday of her mother, Pastor Patience Umo Eno. Some places visited include:-
✅ The Goodnews Community Humanitarian Foundation, Gospel Village Abak, Wednesday, 5th February, 2025
✅ Motherless Babies Home, Mkpok, Onna LGA, Wed. 5th February, 2025
✅ Special Care Children’s Home, IBB way Uyo, Wed. 5th February, 2025
✅ Visited the inmates of Nigerian Correctional Service, Friday 7th February, 2025
✅ Hosted the Speaker of the Nigerian Children’s Parliament in Advocacy for review of child rights law, Friday, 7th February, 2025
✅ Joined Ladies Golfers to Tee – off the Inaugural Ibom Ladies Kitty, Saturday 8th February, 2025
✅ Read Riot Act to perpetrators of Gender – Based Violence, Tuesday 11th February, 2025
✅ Received Nigervolt Limited on a Courtesy visit, Wednesday 12th February, 2025 with their donation of solar energy for Special Children’s school and an elderly or female entrepreneur to be determined by GIFA.
✅ Joined His Excellency for the inauguration of the Patience Umo Eno Antenatal Complex at UUTH, Friday, 14th February, 2025
✅ Celebrated with Pastor/Dcns. S. O. Umoh on their send forth, at Apostolic Church Nigeria, Mbikpong Ikot Edim, invited the Church to the 1st Anniversary of GIFA.
✅ Hosted a Novelty Football Match between WALGON Vs LEWA, Sunday 16th February, 2025
It was Peter Stople that said ” Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people.”
Lady Helen Obareki, since assumption of the office as the First Lady Designate has proven to be a square peg in a square hole. She has worked tirelessly to sustain the vision of her mother. Her ability in interpreting the roles and demands of the office of the First Lady is top-notch. Her capacity in carrying the women along across the entire State is justifiable. Her speech whenever she addresses the people in any gathering is imbued with wisdom, empathy and love. All indicating that she learnt all she could when she was moving along with her mother to all events within and outside the State. No wonder the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said “Helen, your mother did not make any mistake bringing you to me.” And gave her the blessings needed to occupy such an exalted office.
When Lady Helen Obareki visited Goodnews Community Humanitarian Foundation , Abak on 5th February, 2025 to donate cash and gifts items to them as part of the activities towards the 1st Anniversary of GIFA, she was quoted as saying:-
“It was a no brainer for me to come here because my mother so much appreciated the work done here by our Daddy who has gone to be with the Lord, I can see that the legacy is being sustained, the children are well fed.” Without mincing words, the moment I finished reading those lines, all I saw was a perfect interpreter of the assigned role of the Coordinator of the office of the First Lady. I hereby lend my voice that everyone in Akwa Ibom State, both young and old should rise up and support Lady Helen Obareki in her quest to move the office of the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State forward.
The Golden Initiative For All (GIFA), provides support to schools, Communities, health and family life. GIFA provides resources like libraries, laboratories and modern class rooms to improve the quality of education. Under Period Poverty Intervention, GIFA provides sanitary pads and hygiene training to girls in public secondary schools. On Mindset Change Session, GIFA provides sessions to widows to help them thrive in challenging times. GIFA also supports breastfeeding as a sustainable and valuable natural resource that improves the health of women and their children. Through GIFA’s breastfeeding campaign, awareness of need to take action from birth to protect the health of children and their mothers, is created.
GIFA has a mission – the transformation of lives by mobilizing team members, volunteers, partners and others to help galvanize the rights of Akwa Ibom people to food and nutrition. The Golden Initiative For All (GIFA) is focused on improving and supporting the Government in reducing maternal mortality, improving the health of children as well as providing avenues to increase the economic contributions of women and elderly.
Pastor Patience Umo Eno was very passionate about parents with multiple birth children. She had gone through different hospitals, paying Hospital bills, providing maximum support for such people.
Her passion for the care of the elderly and successful hosting of Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme, led to the Governor creating the Arise Initiative for the Elderly, where 600 senior citizens in the State are paid N50,000.00 monthly in addition to enrollment for free medical check up.
All these lofty programmes of Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Eno are currently being sustained through the ingenuity of the Coordinator of the office of the First Lady, Lady Helen Obareki.
On Friday 14th February, 2025, the Patience Umo Eno Antenatal Complex in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH, Uyo, was inaugurated by the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno.
Inaugurating the Complex on February 14, celebrated globally as Valentine’s Day, the Governor thanked the UUTH for building the facility in honour of his wife, Pastor Patience Umo Eno, in recognition of her impact as First Lady.
“This is indeed a Valentine gift that I appreciate and will remain indelible in my heart for as long as I live on earth. I will not forget what the UUTH has done today, “ the Governor said.
He said that the Antenatal Complex was a testament to her passion and dedication at reducing infant mortality rate and ensuring that pregnant mothers are exposed to the best antenatal care possible in the State.
“We are working very hard to reposition the Ibom Specialty Hospital to a standard that will drive medical tourism in our state. We are opening up the medical corridor with a medical village.
We are building a complete Mother and Child Hospital, we are building Doctors Quarters, we are building facilities that will enhance and promote medical health in the State. We will collaborate with health professionals to ensure we leave no one behind” the Governor stated.
On her part, the Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Lady Helen Eno Obareki described her mother, Pastor Patience Umo Eno as a woman of excellence and thanked the chief medical Director and staff of the hospital for their thoughtful gesture.
“One of the thematic areas of the Golden Initiative for All, GIFA, is Maternal and Child Healthcare. So if there was ever a wing of the hospital to be named after her, it is this one.
And so, I’m standing here to say thank you to the Chief Medical Director and indeed the entire management and staff of the hospital and I pray that this is not only a physical space, it would serve as a memorial for the life that she lived and the compassion that she had in her heart for the pregnant women of our dear state.”
The Patience Umo Eno Antenatal complex has the general ward, private rooms, consulting rooms, call rooms, offices , a mini laboratory, a pharmacy, a mini records unit and a family planning unit with diagnostic equipment and other furnishing.
According to Lady Helen Obareki, the Golden Initiative For All, GIFA, is for everyone. That was her kind words when she visited the inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service on Friday 7th February, 2025. Giving them hope of a project that upholds inclusivity for those who have had their freedom retrieved over wrongdoings or in some cases detained through no fault of theirs. She said the visit was to ensure that they are covered by the programmes of GIFA even in their circumstances.
What a beautiful legacy sustained by a beautiful and hardworking daughter of the first family.
Therefore, if you are in town on Thursday, 20th February, 2025, all roads leads to Ibom Hall at IBB Avenue, Uyo. The time is 10am.
Come let us celebrate the 1st Anniversary of GIFA and the Posthumous Birthday of our Matriarch, Pastor Patience Umo Eno who would have been 58 Years on February 20, 2025.
Pst. Solomon Essiet (ACIA)
Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
