Eno : When A Birthday Became A Benediction

Aniekan Umanah

For those who love humanity, who treasure compassion and kindness especially toward the forgotten and the frail, April 24 is not merely another date on the calendar. It is a date with destiny. A day when a man chose to be a lifeline for those who may never return the favour. It was Governor Umo Eno’s  61st birthday, yet he turned it into a festival of succour for the afflicted.

Can a Governor shun the flamboyance, the irresistible lure of turning his birthday into a grand societal spectacle? The answer shone brightly in Akwa Ibom State where the Governor chose instead to make his birthday a gift to humanity. He asked that rather than shower him with mountains of gifts, those blessings should find their way to the poorest, the neediest, the sick and the forgotten.

For this progenitor of compassionate leadership, the most meaningful celebration is not in the clinking of glasses or the glamour of gala nights but in shared laughter with the broken, the embrace of the abandoned, the silent tears of the grateful.

That is his truest joy and he once again lived it out in the most beautiful way.

For those who know Eno, compassion and kindness are woven into the very fabric of his being. His acts of kindness often elude explanation. Yet, his gentle refusal to receive lavish birthday celebrations and gifts, instead channelled to tthe forgotten adds a holy glow to his character.
Such is the man, Eno: a man most comfortable being a blessing to those he may never even meet in life.

This persistent advocacy for the vulnerable places him among a rare breed of leaders and global figures who have used their birthdays not for self-aggrandisement but to further the cause of humanity.

The Pastor-Governor has expanded his cathedral beyond walls and pews; he has built it in the open hearts of the people. In spirit, he joins the ranks of renowned kings and pontiffs who celebrated their birthdays by lifting the downtrodden.

He has rekindled memories of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) of Thailand who spent his birthdays launching development projects among rural and impoverished communities such as irrigation, healthcare, education. Like Bhumibol, the Governor chose service over spectacle.That is the Eno model.

One is reminded also of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who transforms his birthday, “Throne Day,” into a celebration of mercy, pardoning prisoners, launching social initiatives for the poor.

Across continents, the tradition persists. Kings like Felipe VI of Spain and Mswati III of Eswatini have used their birthdays to distribute food, school supplies and hope to the forgotten.

And as the world bids farewell to the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, we remember a Pope  who celebrated his birthdays not with pomp but by sharing meals with the homeless, blessing sick children and embracing the marginalised.
These acts of grace find new echoes in the Governor who, on his birthday, became a river of blessing to the neediest.

His recent birthday  confirmed what many already knew: Eno carries in his heart those whom the world has cast aside. Where others see refuse, he sees treasure. Where others see endings, he sees hope. These have characterised his achievements-packed ARISE Agenda-driven governance in the last 23 months.
The fragrance of Eno”s kindness spreads across Akwa Ibom State like the scent of new rain upon parched earth.
From the cities to the hinterlands, from schools to hospitals, prisons to orphanages, the melody of compassion played on. Joy found the sorrowful. Healing visited the sick. Food comforted the hungry. Akwa Ibom State is still basking in the warmth of that tender, loving wind of Eno”s 61st birthday .

Everything that could have been hoarded in the name of the Governor’s birthday was instead poured out like oil upon the heads of the needy. If truth be told, it seemed the vulnerable received more than the Governor ever would have, had the day been about him. It was beautiful to watch the people of Akwa Ibom rise to the occasion. Wealth or status was no requirement, only a willing heart. Inspired by Eno’s example, ordinary citizens turned into extraordinary givers, painting the state with acts of kindness and love.

The Governor succeeded not just in celebrating a birthday but in lighting a candle of compassion that illuminated the entire state. He taught that giving is not the preserve of the wealthy but the privilege of the willing. He only asked that every giver let the beneficiary know: this is a gift in honor of a Governor’s birthday.

You could feel the spirit of kindness; it had weight, it had presence. It draped itself over Akwa Ibom like a gentle, golden cloak. It felt like the first Christmas of the year. It was a noble wish and the Governor wished well.

In a characteristically humble manner, no sooner had the waves of love and compassion swept across the state, than  Eno issued a heartfelt press statement. In it, he thanked “all and sundry” for the overwhelming show of affection, kindness and generosity not to himself alone but to the countless lives touched in honour  of his day. It was a gratitude as genuine as the heart from which it came.

The Governor has recorded many achievements for Akwa Ibom State but, perhaps, this was most  profound  as his love for the “lost.”

It was a leader’s birthday rewritten as a chapter of hope for the forgotten.”