You and Your Governor
By: Solomon Essiet
Let me start by saying congratulations to the best Governor of year 2024, as that was confirmed by the management of one of the leading Newspapers in Nigeria, leadership Newspaper on Wednesday 15th January, 2025 through the conferment of the award. This is no mean achievements for a Governor who was completely written off during the campaigns, that he doesn’t have what it takes to govern Akwa Ibom State.
Some of the Governor’s activities captured over the week is as follows:-
✅ Gov. Eno’s verification exercise exposed over 2000 ghost workers in Civil Service, revealed on Tuesday 14th January, 2025
✅ Gov. Eno attended Armed Forces remembrance day event to honour the fallen heroes, on Wednesday, 15th January, 2025
✅ Gov. Eno received an award as the best Governor of year 2024, from leadership Newspaper, Wednesday 15th January, 2025
✅ Attended the Akwa Ibom State Government Monthly Prayer Service, on Saturday 18th January, 2025
✅ Joined the family of Late Affiong Ukot through Udeme Ufot, others, to bid “Afi Girl” farewell, on Saturday 18th January, 2025.
✅ Inspected Projects site at Ikot Ekpene Udo, Nsit Ubium Local Government Area, on Saturday 18th January, 2025.
To say the week under review was an emotional one would be an understatement. Specifically on Wednesday 15th January, 2025, when his Excellency had to perform what has become like a yearly ritual during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, by laying the wreath in honour of the fallen heroes, one could virtually see the untold emotions felt by the Governor at that moment, he himself a son of a Police man whose his father died serving the Country Nigeria. So the connection was there and the Governor couldn’t help but, also felt that humanly emotions revolving such event. With great humility, the Governor made huge donation to support the dependants of the fallen heroes. The Governor had earlier donated One Hundred Million Naira (#100,000,000.00), to the Widows of the fallen heroes during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day of 2024.
♦ON CIVIL SERVANTS VERIFICATION EXERCISE
On Tuesday, 14th January, 2025, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC , Akwa Ibom State chapter applauded Gov Umo Eno over the physical verification exercise of Civil Servants, adding that over 2,000 ghost workers have so far been discovered in the process.
Secretary of the NLC in the State, Comrade Alpha Marshall made the disclosure during a telephone interview on XL106.9FM’s Super Breakfast Show, “The Talk” in Uyo.
According to Comrade Marshall, a little over 51, 700 Civil servants have so far been verified against the 55,120 workers that were available on record before the verification exercise.
Speaking further, the NLC Secretary who reiterated that the verification process was seamless and transparent, said the report of the exercise is ready for submission to the Governor.
On Civil servants yet to be verified, the NLC Secretary who disclosed that plans are underway to reschedule a verification exercise for workers whose issues bothered on mismatched details on National Identification Number, NIN, maintained that the rescheduled exercise will not stop the committee from submitting the report to the Governor.
While describing the Governor Eno as a promise keeper, Comrade Marshall expressed optimism that once the report is reviewed by the Governor, civil servants will be paid the new minimum wage.
It would be recalled that Governor Eno in his avowed commitment to the welfare of civil servants in the State, had promised to pay the N80,000 minimum wage to all public workers after completion of physical verification exercise, with effect from November 2024.
♦ON ARMED FORCES REMEMBRANCE DAY
On Wednesday 15th January, 2025, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, called on Nigerian leaders and citizens to exhibit attributes of patriotism in order to reciprocate the sacrifices of Nigeria’s fallen heroes, as he announced a new tranche of his administration’s support for widows of fallen service men.
The Governor who directed the Ministries of Women Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs to collaborate and ensure that the widows of the fallen heroes in the Armed Forces and the Police, are encouraged to engage in economic ventures and absorbed into the various empowerment programmes in the State, announced a grant of two hundred and fifty million naira (N250,000,000. 00) at the commemoration of this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day, in Uyo.
Governor Eno also directed that the widows be made to benefit from training programmes of the state-owned Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development Centre, Ibom-LED, to enhance their economic potentials.
“Today, I direct the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Permanent Secretary of Humanitarian Affairs, not only to disburse money to these women but to ensure that each and every one of them has something doing. They will improve the trade of those engaged in trading and where possible, send them to be trained in Ibom LED, to make sure they run their businesses well.
“It is on this occasion therefore that I am announcing the sum of one hundred and fifty million naira to be given to these women and to be disbursed promptly and accordingly to ensure that they carry on their trade.
“Let me specially also announce another one hundred million naira to the Police and other security agencies because they too have fallen heroes and I stand here as a proud son of a Police officer who gave his life in the line of duty. So, we will continue to live our lives in a way that will honour those that have gone before us.”
The Akwa Ibom State Chief Executive assured that his administration will continue to be intentional about honouring the sacrifices of fallen heroes who, driven by the spirit of patriotism, enlisted into the various arms of the military to defend the territorial integrity of the nation or restore peace at various flashpoints of violence, despite knowing they may end up paying the ultimate price.
He called on Nigerians to demonstrate their respect for fallen service men by identifying with the sentiments they sacrificed their lives for.
“The question remains: Have we done enough to correspondingly show our appreciation for their heroism and sacrifices? Are the issues that led to the conflicts that claimed their lives resolved? Are we living in a truly united, fair and equitable nation where opportunities abound for every one? Are we the leaders, doing all we can to run an inclusive forward-looking government, where the issues and concerns of the people form the motivating impulses of our engagements? These are questions we should ponder on as we honour the services of our patriotic and brave men and officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
“We in Akwa Ibom will continue to celebrate and honour their sacrifices. We will continue to intentionally do all we can to assist them as well as the Nigerian Legionnaires.
“The widows of our fallen soldiers and those who served the nation diligently will not walk alone. We will stand by you, pray with you and give you our support. May the souls of the gallant officers, men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces rest in peace,” he concluded.
♦ON AWARD OF BEST GOVERNOR OF YEAR 2024 BY LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPER
On Wednesday, 15th January, 2025 Governor Umo Eno said his recognition as Governor of the Year by Leadership Newspaper, is not an honour to him alone, but an award to the entire people of Akwa Ibom State, saying no leader succeeds alone.
He has also insisted that the award, which is an indication that he is on a national podium, will motivate him to even perform more in service delivery to his people.
Governor Eno spoke when he received in audience, the management team delegation from LEADERSHIP Newspaper, led by the Vice Chairman, Mr Mike Okpere, in his office in Uyo.
Dedicating the award to the State’s departed First Lady, Governor Eno recounted that she played a pivotal role in his performance in the State.
He also attributed the success of his administration to the support of his family, the deputy governor and members of his team, including the immediate past executive council members.
“Like I said last week during our valedictory dinner, we just had to rejig.If the reason for rejigging was lack of performance, I don’t think I would have dissolved the exco, because they did a fantastic job and all that hardwork culminated in this award.
“We thank you for the faith you have shown in us and again for being very apolitical in your selection.
“For a first time Governor, barely 20 months in office, honestly this is not what I would ordinarily expect, and for you to have done your analyses and looked closely, it shows that we are being watched.
“This gesture gives us hope in our country, that things can be done properly.
Giving an insight on his approach to governance, Pastor Eno said, “I understand clearly the yearnings of the people. I have been on the other side and I have mingled with the people and I know their expectations. Being in Government gives me the privilege of trying to address the yearnings of the ‘popular side’.
“That informed my decision to adopt a Bottom – Top approach to leadership, people in the rural community must feel the impact of Government.
“They don’t have to wait every four years for us to return with a bag rice to gain their votes.
“We thank God that we have been able to bring a touch of governance to the downtrodden, the vulnerable, while also attempting other impactful projects and programmes for the people.”
The Governor emphasized his belief in the welfare and wellbeing of the people, stressing that he would love the people to be his greatest legacy project.
“This award will ginger us to do more, now that we know we are on the national stage.”
He promised to continue working towards the unity of the country, especially through political inclusivity, and to bring dividends to his people by working across party lines to succeed.
Earlier the leader of the delegation and Vice Chairman of the LEADERSHIP Newspaper, Mr Mike Okpere, had explained that LEADERSHIP Newspaper confers awards annually on persons in the country based on assessment of their level of positive impact to the political and economic growth of the country.
He said the choice of Governor Eno, was unanimously accepted by the management team based on his performance in office.
“Your name first came up in November 2023, for the Awards, but we believed we should observe you more, and this time it was unanimously agreed that you deserve to be Governor of the Year.”
Mr Okpere maintained that the nominations for awards is devoid of political affiliation and other biases, and added that the Governor will share the stage with a couple of others, including the Newspaper’s Person of the Year, Alhaji Aliko Dankote.
“Our duty here is to invite you officially and to appeal to you to personally attend the event billed for April 8, 2025”, he said, while also commiserating with the Governor on the recent passing of the State’s First Lady.
In the delegation was a director in the Newspaper, Mr Abraham Nda-Isaiah and the State Correspondent, Mr Iniobong Ekponta.
♦STATE GOVERNMENT MONTHLY PRAYER SERVICE
Governor Eno attended the Government House Monthly Prayer Service on Saturday 18th January, 2025. During the service, he bared his mind on the welfare of widows of Nigeria’s fallen heroes, the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno however outlined modalities for ensuring equitable administration and disbursement of the N250 million business grant he awarded them to mark the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
The Governor spelled out the disbursement criteria while speaking during the January edition of the Akwa Ibom State Government House Monthly Prayer Service, held at the Later House Chapel, Governor’s Lodge, Uyo, where he also talked about modalities for the proposed town hall meetings across the 10 Federal Constituencies of the State.
Describing the circumstances of his life as the mould that has shaped his governance disposition, Governor Eno urged Akwa Ibom people to thank God for the new year and expect the multiplied grace of God in the new season.
He stressed that his administration is committed to discontinuing the trend of release of government financial support to vulnerable citizens without commensurate socioeconomic effect on the targeted beneficiaries.
The Governor therefore directed the Ministries of Women Affairs and that of Humanitarian Affairs to commence the compilation of data of the widows of service men, to ensure a judicious disbursement process, and utilisation of the fund, towards ensuring optimal attainment of its purpose.
On the planned town hall meeting and empowerment in all the Federal Constituencies in the first quarter of 2025, Governor Eno tasked leaders and stakeholders of each Federal Constituency to, prior to the meetings, come up with a unified presentation that will represent the position and needs of their constituencies.
He further said that only those whose businesses are located within a local government area will be qualified for the special LGA – focused business grants.
Pastor Eno also called on pastors to continually pray for the good of the State and the government, and eschew tendencies that could dent the body of Christ.
The General Overseer of Christian Fellowship Evangelical Church, Reverend Emem Jacob, delivering a homily on the theme, “Dimensions of Grace,” culled from 2 Peter 1:2, charged Christians to, while manifesting the various dimensions of God’s grace, deliberately ensure that the grace does not end with them, but make a mark on their environments and generations after them.
♦ON THE BURIAL OF UDEME UFOT’S MOTHER IN-LAW LATE AFFIONG UKOT AT IBENO LGA
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, eulogised the late Princess Affiong Samuel Ukot for her impactful life, especially for investing in her children and instilling in them the values of excellence and nobility in thoughts and actions.
In his oration at a funeral service for the late nonagerian held at Ibeno Local Government Secretariat Grounds, Ukpenekang, on Saturday 18th January, 2025, he described the deceased as a virtuous woman, and a matriarch who was also God-fearing.
He also applauded her impactful professional life saying, “our mother whose earthy remains we are here to bid farewell, spent most of her professional life as a Matron, taking care of people, and helping mothers bring life to earth- a truly ennobling act.
“She wanted the best for her children and went all out to instill in them the values of excellence, nobility in thoughts and actions. Today, one of her children, Professor Dorothy Udeme Ufot, SAN, sits on the boards of many blue chip companies, and had made history as the first Akwa Ibom State born female lawyer to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria ( SAN), and also an Arbitrator of both national and international repute.”
He appreciated the presence of major players in Corporate Nigeria including Chief Biodun Shobanjo, Chairman of Troyka, and Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic-IBTC Bank, at the funeral, and reaffirmed plans by his administration to hold a Corporate Akwa Ibom Summit. The summit, he said, aims to identify, integrate and collaborate with Akwa Ibom indigenes in the corporate sector for the sake of enhancing development in the state.
The Governor announced the appointment of the son-in-law to the deceased, Udeme Ufot, MFR, the Group Managing Director of SO&U, as Chairman of the Steering Committee for the proposed summit.
In attendance at the funeral were the immediate past Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, CON, State Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Elder Aniekan Akpan, immediate past Deputy Governor, Mr. Moses Ekpo, MFR, Secretary to the State Government, Prince Enobong Uwah, Chairman of Access Bank Plc, Paul Usoro SAN, and many others.
Pst. Solomon Essiet (ACIA)
Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
