By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
As women globally celebrated the 2025 International Women’s Day, the Akwa Ibom governor has stated his administration’s resolve to continuously support women and inspire in them more momentum to accelerate.
Pastor Umo Eno, who stated this, Saturday, during the 2025 International Women’s Day celebration, themed, “Accelerate Action”, which took place at the Ibom Hall Grounds, Uyo, said his administration will continue to support women to accelerate and excel which, he noted, has informed the decision of government to embark on the training of over 800 young ladies (female youths, the ladies in white etc), through the Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development Centre, Ibom-LED.
Eno recalled that N750,000 was given to each of the trainees as take off grants and attendance fees, respectively, expressing gladness on the progress report that most of the beneficiaries have turned that opportunity provided them to expand their SME’s.
He assured that government will continue to pay attention to the needs of the girl child and that of the boy child to enable them grow up to fulfill the dreams of their parents and the larger society.
Eno noted that his administration has led an inclusive governance where women have been given huge roles in power equation and were accelerating steadily and purposefully, while their rights and privileges have been protected by such laws that criminalise Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and other discriminatory practices.
The governor furthered that his administration has taken bold and decisive steps to prosecute those who engage in Gender-Based Violence such as rape, wife battering, and other morally reprehensible acts against women, acknowledging with thanks the good works earlier done in the sector by his late wife, Patience.
He lauded the works done by the Golden Initiative for All (GIFA) especially the strong and decisive steps taken by the coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, and his dear daughter, Mrs. Helen Eno-Obareki to put an end to the ignoble and immoral acts.
In furtherance of works earlier done in the sector, Eno said his administration has solid complement of women occupying important positions of authority and responsibility in governance, mentioning the likes of the deputy governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, and the Chief Judge, Justice Ekaette Obot, adding that members of the State Executive Council, local government council chairmen and vice chairmen, the PDP structure, and other organs of government, have women at the commanding levers.
“Today, thanks to the good works done by my dear wife, Her Excellency, Pastor (Mrs.) Patience Umo Eno, and in furtherance of works earlier done in this sector, we have solid complement of our women occupying important positions of authority and responsibility in governance.
“Let me salute and commend the works done by the Golden Initiative for All (GIFA), especially the strong and decisive steps taken by the coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, my dear daughter, Mrs. Helen Eno-Obareki, to put an end to this ignoble and immoral acts.”
The governor noted that the theme of this year’s event, could not have been more apt, as all over the world, from the developed to the developing, from the famed K Street in Washington DC, to the geek-defined neighbourhoods in Silicon Valley, to the genteel and conservative corridors of the Bretton Woods Institutions, to the bustling commercial Broad Street in Lagos or the majestically manicured boulevards of Johannesburg, women are accelerating actions and in the process, breaking down hitherto glass ceilings in every aspects of the human experience.
According to him, central in this year’s theme is the call for gender parity and other biases and limitations women may have faced or are still facing, noting that currently all over the world, women are being singled out and celebrated for their contributions towards the growth of their common essence as well as their nurturing roles, the glass ceilings both in politics and in private sector and other professional ladder they have broken and scaled.
Eno said he, on behalf of the government and the people of Akwa Ibom, was proud to join the train of celebrations and acceleration by women on the occasion of the 2025 International Women’s Day, wishing them a happy celebration as they keep accelerating.
He announced the empowerment of 15 female drivers under the platform of the Akwa Ibom State Female Commercial Drivers Association with 15 brand new mini-buses for their transportation businesses and also directed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, as well as that of Youth Development to collaborate and work towards providing a young female automobile electrician with a workshop and tools on completion of her internship in May, this year.
The coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Akwa Ibom State, Lady Helen Eno Obareki, acknowledged the significant progress made towards equality for women, while also admitting that there is more work to be done to completely eradicate gender disparity in the society.
Obareki said, under her watch, GIFA remains committed to rolling out life-saving opportunities to vulnerable women in Akwa Ibom, assuring that by God’s special grace, in the coming days and weeks, GIFA will use its various channels to accelerate action in a bid to scale up the dignity of women in multiple domains.
High point of the event was march-past by women from the 31 local government areas, women groups and associations, special performances by women from Uyo, Eket and Ikot Ekpene Senatorial Districts, as well as exhibition of agricultural products by women from the 31 local government areas.
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