•Governor Eno and NUJ President Alhassan Yahaya
The respected and highly celebrated Emma Goldman was wrong. Her famous postulation on political promises, which captured the imagination of the world, has failed the litmus test under Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
A Jewish activist and writer, it was Goldman, a woman, who said decades ago that “politicians promise you heaven before election and give you hell after election”. I insist that’s not true in Akwa Ibom State under Governor Eno.
In particular, that’s not true for thousands who witnessed the commissioning of the state-of-the-art Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Auditorium, in Uyo, August 1, 2025. Rather, August 1, was a day of pattern breaking, a day that a promise made became a promise fulfilled.
Keeping political promises seems to be the second nature of Governor Eno. In most cases, he has exceeded his promises and delivered more than he promised in many aspects of his ARISE Agenda.
For the NUJ in Akwa Ibom, the completion and commissioning of the expansive State NUJ Auditorium, which has been 20 years in the making, was not just a promise kept but a promise surpassed.
Without a scintilla of doubt, Governor Eno is the archetypal of the unusual politician.
Political promises, some people believe, are not meant to be kept but to be kept out after campaigning. But Governor Eno keeps his word and honours his commitments. For him, keeping promises is a mark of integrity, which builds trust, while breaking promises can erode relationships and damage reputations. Perhaps, as a pastor, Governor Eno also thinks that promises are like crying babies during a sermon, they should be carried out at once.
In 2023, when he was consulting stakeholders and campaigning to be elected Akwa Ibom governor, Pastor Eno visited the NUJ. During that visit, he donated N10 million for the roofing of the NUJ Auditorium that had, at that time, seen three governors and 18 years under construction. Not only that, he promised journalists who gathered to hear his plans for Akwa Ibom State that he would complete the construction of the NUJ Auditorium and partner with the NUJ if elected as governor.
He was elected governor and sworn-in on May 29, 2023, accordingly. The next day, he announced his first five appointments, among them two journalists. Promise kept.
As of today, he has appointed two journalists into his cabinet and 54 media aides. Promises kept.
This governor even made the NUJ chairman in the state part of his Executive Council retreats, in line with his promise to partner with the NUJ as governor. Promise kept.
Journalists have also been appointed as LGA chairmen, councillors and supervisors. Promise kept.
When in January this year, Governor Eno attended the 2025 Akwa Ibom NUJ Thanksgiving Service, held in The Apostolic Church Nigeria, TACN, Ikot Ekpene Udo, his village in Nsit Ubium LGA, he donated A brand new SUV vehicle to the NUJ chairman. Promise exceeded.
On Friday, August 1, 2025, when he commissioned the NUJ Auditorium, he went a step further to donate brand new sedan cars to 10 other Exco members of the NUJ. Promise surpassed.
“We have never had it so good with any governor in Nigeria…” Amos Etuk, the outgoing NUJ chairman in Akwa Ibom State said, adding that “His (the governor’s) support for us in the state is enormous and responsible for our rating amongst the topmost NUJ Councils in Nigeria”.
Speaking, with the National President of the NUJ, Alhassan Yahaya in attendance, Etuk repeatedly described Governor Eno as the “most Media-friendly Governor in Nigeria. Your Excellency, you were the very first person to give us a very huge sum of money to complete this project even when you were not yet the governor… What is happening here today is historic. It has never happened anywhere in any State NUJ in Nigeria”, Etuk said.
When Yahaya took over the podium from Etuk, he spoke in glowing terms too about Governor Eno.
“Just yesterday, a respected journalism research centre in Nigeria released its periodic report on the state of the media for public consumption. In that report Akwa Ibom State tops the ranking as one of the best performing states in terms of funding the media, equipping media houses as well as good relationships with media organisations nationwide…”
Yahaya said as the National President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, he came to Akwa Ibom to personally witness the historic event and thank the governor for being such a backbone for the profession.
The State Commissioner of Information, Aniekan Umanah, praised the governor, for what he called “finishing anointing”, which has seen the governor taking up the completion of many projects that were unfinished by his predecessors.
Umanah added a dimension that thrilled journalists who jam-packed the sprawling venue of the event.
“In two years of your Administration, Your Excellency, there is no journalist in this state in detention. Instead, you have encouraged free press in this state, and we appreciate what you have done so far”, Umanah said.
The man who initiated the NUJ Auditorium project 20 years ago was on ground to witness the manifestation of the “finishing anointing”. Israel Umoh, now the publisher of StraightNews, an influential online newspaper, told me how overwhelmed he was to see the Auditorium project completed.
“I never thought the project I started in 2005 as the State Chairman of the NUJ would take two decades to be completed. So I thank God and the governor immensely for completing what I started. I feel very fulfilled and indebted to the governor for ensuring that my vision and mission for Akwa Ibom NUJ, are accomplished”.
For Governor Eno, the promise keeper, the key issue went beyond keeping or surpassing his promises. After all, “to do the right thing”, as a famous American writer Robert Breault once said, “we must keep even a promise we never made”.
The issue therefore at stake, Governor Eno said, was “loyalty to the Akwa Ibom brand”.
He praised Akwa Ibom NUJ for its professionalism in reporting his Administration.
“You have promoted and not de-marketed the Akwa Ibom brand. You have displayed professionalism and true loyalty to our state… Loyalty, after all, is mutual and so I thank you immensely for standing by our state. Together, let us continue to run a United Akwa Ibom State”.
