By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
The governor of Akwa Ibom State has dedicated his recent recognition as Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year – an award bestowed on him by the Leadership Newspaper, to his late wife and First Lady, Patience, and the entire Akwa Ibom people.
The award on Pastor Umo Eno by the newspaper will come up in April 8, 2025, in recognition of his leadership performance in office since his assumption of office as governor.
Receiving in audience, the management of the newspaper, Wednesday, at Government House, Uyo, as was led by its vice chairman, Mr Mike Okpere, whose mission was to officially inform the governor and invite him to the event scheduled to take place in April 8, 2025, Eno recounted the pivotal role played in his performance by his late wife, Patience.
He noted that the award on him is not an honour to him alone, but to the entire people of the State, as no leader succeeds alone.
Eno 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.
He noted that the award which is an indication that he is on a national podium, will ginger him to perform more in service delivery to his people.
The governor pledged to continuously work towards the unity of the country, especially through political inclusivity by working across party lines to bring dividends of governance to his people, thanking them for the faith they have shown in his leadership and for being very apolitical in their 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. This award will ginger us to do more, now that we know we are on the national stage. We thank you for the faith you have shown in us and again for being very apolitical in your selection.
“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 of 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 team lead and vice chairman of the Leadership Newspaper, Okpere, said the newspaper confers awards annually on Nigerians based on assessment of their level of positive impact to the political and economic growth of the country.
He noted that Eno’s choice was unanimously accepted by the management team based on his performance in office.
According to him, though his name first came up in November 2023 for the awards, the management of the newspaper decided to observe him more, adding that “this time it was unanimously agreed that you deserve to be Governor of the Year.”
Okpere made known that the nominations for awards by the newspaper was devoid of political affiliation and other biases, disclosing that Governor Eno will share the stage with a couple of others, including the Newspaper’s Person of the Year, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
He said they were in the state to officially invite the governor to personally attend the event which will take place on April 8, 2025, while also commiserating with Eno on the recent demise of the State’s First Lady.
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