It was Anietie Usen, the award winning journalist, author, and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on media, who first pulled back the curtain on Governor Umo Eno’s real friends in his article titled “A Governor and his friends”.
The caption was a magnet. Like moth to a flame, readers were helplessly drawn to the story, eager to catch a glimpse of the privileged individuals who had managed to secure a coveted place on the governor’s list of close friends and associates within the early days of his administration.
But they were taken aback, their preconceptions shattered by unexpected revelations. The Governor’s friends, it turned out, were not the usual stalwarts, not the ones many typically expect to see walking into his office. They weren’t the familiar faces that had become a regular fixture in his inner circle or the high-society types who rub shoulders with the powerful. No, Governor Umo Eno’s friends were the unseen faces, the unsung heroes, whom he interacted with in the most unlikely places.
They were the resilient small-scale vendors who lined the streets corners and motorways, toiling under the scorching sun to eke out a living. The widows and widowers, particularly those in rural communities. The poorest of the poor and orphaned children. They were mothers with their children swaddled on their backs, stirring corns and pear in the fire by the roadside, attending to customers with a wide smile, the fruits vendors under their large umbrellas, the coconut and groundnut sellers.
He will often do the unthinkable, often bringing his motorcade to an abrupt halt on the highway. Then he’d step out and embrace the vendors, sharing a few words of encouragement. A token of support will follow to boost their modest enterprises.
Whenever these scenes unfolded, bystanders would stop and gape, mesmerised by the governor’s display of humility and compassion.
Mr Usen himself was puzzled. This was “Governor Unusual,” he wrote. And determined to crack the reasons behind his stop-traffic behaviours, Usen confronted the governor.
“Your Excellency, I remember that you began this idea of stopping suddenly on the road to attend to impoverished people during the campaign, Why do you do the spontaneous things that are fast becoming a trademark of your government?”
The governor had smiled and responded, “Sir, you see, those street traders I am attracted to are my real friends…They are not lazy people but struggling and hardworking people and I need to connect with them and appreciate their labour for their families…Some of those women are feeding and training their children, even in higher institutions, from that street trading. Sadly, most of them, if not all, hardly benefit from any structured government stipend or assistance … Government should be able to think outside the box and devise innovative methods to assist these impoverished but hardworking women”.
The governor was fiercely determined to do something. It didn’t matter if he had to sit for hours and think outside the big metaphorical box to find progressive solutions to the problem of the people he cares about. And he did.
Barely a year and a half into his tenure, the governor’s commitment to the people he considers friends has yielded impressive results and led to a commendable scorecard.
Today, UduakObong Effiong, an orphan who tragically lost both parents months apart and buried them on the same day, owns a thriving fashion business, courtesy of Governor Umo Eno. The governor not only set up the business but also covered the security personnel’s bills for two years.
By July 15, 2024, the governor had established the Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development Centre (Ibom-LED), launching an Entrepreneurial Accelerator Programme (EAP) that has empowered 1200 Akwa Ibom individuals with ₦400 million in grants.
When the barrage of requests for medical assistance piled up on his phone, the governor orchestrated a large-scale free medical outreach. This time, not just for his friends, but for all the people in need.
The first phase took place in Uyo, where, according to one of the volunteer doctors, thousands of individuals received comprehensive medical care, including intricate surgeries for complex medical conditions.
Then the medical train moved to Ikot Ekpene and Eket respectively.
Just recently, the governor again demonstrated his compassion, approving a significant amount to help a prominent broadcaster with her medical expenses.
Ndiana-Abasi Udom, a former banker with a large following in the social media, wrote, “To the glory of God, His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno has graciously approved, released and taken care of Aitee Lawrence’s medical bill and she will soon be on her way to the hospital.”
Taking his kindness a step further, the governor has gone on to build homes for his friends, dubbing the project “Compassionate Homes”.
Samuel Umo from Nsit Ubium, in a stunned and somewhat comical reaction to the number of houses the governor has built for the poor and the vulnerable, screamed in the comment section of my Facebook post: “Da, mbo ke ufok awak nte uduang Ebod. Aka scatter everywhere.” (interpreted as houses are now as many as goat’s dung).
The governor is a meticulous record keeper. He had made a bold promise to deliver 400 units of these houses within the first four years of his administration. As it stands, he has made significant progress, with 174 units already handed over. But that’s not all, he has also provided business grants to these families to get started with their own small businesses in order for them to thrive and become self-sufficient.
For the elderly and senior citizens in the state, Governor Umo Eno provides a thoughtful package, including a N50,000 monthly allowance, foodstuffs and essential routine drugs. This remarkable initiative known as the ARISE initiative for the Elderly is actively providing succour to the aged population.
Then just recently, January 15, 2025, during a service to commemorate the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the governor gave out N250m to widows of the Nigeria’s fallen heroes.
In all this, if anyone was desperate to gauge the temperature of the governor’s milk of human kindness, July 10, 2023, would be the defining moment.
On that day, during a working visit to Dakkada Oil Palm Plantation, the Governor made an unscheduled stopover to condole with one of the families of The Salvation Army. The Church had suffered a devastating loss, losing 11 Officers (pastors) including a couple in a tragic motor accident in Edo State while returning from a church conference in Lagos. The governor was so grief-stricken he broke down.
Mr Usen reported that, “no eye was left dry” by the time the governor and his entourage left that day.
Similarly, when Abigail Frederick, a makeup artist who died in a boat accident that also claimed the life of popular Nollywood star Junior Pope, the governor quickly intervened, ordering that her corpse, which was hastily buried at the Anam River bank, be exhumed and brought back to Akwa for a decent burial.
According to Ekerette Udoh, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, the governor in his condolence message, offered heartfelt comfort to the grieving family, reassuring them, “They will not walk alone.”
True to his word, the governor visited the family. And before departing, he instructed that the deceased father’s half-built house be completed at once. It was done.
Perhaps the most compelling evidence of Governor Eno’s affiliation to the plights of the downtrodden is the case of Madam Cecelia Emmanuel of Atan Mbak Obio Itam, in Uyo.
Leaning heavily on her walking stick, Cecelia, was so sick her frailty was evident. Onlookers who saw her concluded that she would easily make Governor Umo Eno’s list of high-value friends. They knew instinctively the governor would not pass her by without stopping to offer his kind heart. They were right!
Coming out from the country home of Dr. Henry Archibong, former Federal Lawmaker and political leader of Itu LGA, where he had made an unscheduled visit after worshipping earlier that morning at the Presbyterian Church, Ikot Andem Itam, Governor Umo Eno held the old woman fondly by the hands.
Wrote Mr Usen. “As the governor stepped outside and bid farewell to his host, he saw the old woman and straightaway stopped the convoy and alighted from his car to talk to her, with his two hands holding the sick old woman from falling.
“Mummy idem fo? Unam die?, the governor asked her in vernacular, meaning “Mummy, how are you doing? What is the problem with your health”? Mama didn’t even know that the man speaking to her was the governor. But she struggled with a barely audible voice to mention waist pain, knee pain, back pain, migraine and palpitation.
That was it. Straight away, the governor instructed Dr Ekemini, his Personal Physician, to take care of Mama immediately. And it was so.
Mama recalled later, sitting in the hospital bed where she had spent days receiving treatment and recovering from her debilitating illnesses: “I didn’t even know I was talking to the governor”, said Mama. “A tall handsome and kind man stopped where I was leaning on my walking stick, put his hands on my shoulders and asked me how I was feeling…Before I could answer him fully, he said, it’s okay, it’s okay. Today, you must go with me to the hospital…”.
A true friend neither abandons his friends, nor let them walk alone. Governor Umo has proven this time and again. He has shown how genuinely he cares about his close friends and his people.
It is Matshona Dhliwayo, a Zimbabwean author and philosopher, who succinctly captures Governor Umo Eno’s essence when he wrote that, “Leaders’ greatness is not measured by their power, but by their compassion, not by their wealth, but by their generosity, and not by their triumphs, but by their kindness.”
If the above quote could be deemed a veritable evidence encapsulating Governor Umo Eno’s continuing story of compassion and charity, then Mandy Hale, an American author renowned for her inspiring and empowering writings on life, provides insight for a captivating epilogue.
“In the end,” she says, “there is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.”
*Clement Warrie is a media aide of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
