By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
The Akwa Ibom governor has dedicated the recent Governor of the Year award by ThisDay Newspapers and the Arise TV, to his deputy, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, and past governors of the State, particularly his predecessor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel.
Pastor Umo Eno who bared his mind Tuesday during an interaction with Government House Press Corps and a cross section of Akwa Ibom people who were on hand to receive him at the Victor Attah International Airport (VAIA), on arrival from the event which took place at Eko Hotel, Lagos, said the three categories of people largely made the award possible.
Deeply touched by the overwhelming show of solidarity by the stakeholders and the people of the State across party lines, Eno said his deputy, Eyakenyi, has been very supportive, while also keeping the peace.
According to him, Eyakenyi’s peaceful disposition has enabled him to remain focused on developmental issues.
He also dedicated the award to his predecessors-Obong Victor Attah, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and the immediate past governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, noting that they all contributed immensely in building the foundation upon which he is laying more blocks of development that has earned him the accolades he is receiving across the country.
He recalled with appreciation, the invaluable contributions of his predecessor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, to his emergence as governor, and dedicated the award specifically to him, acknowledging the fact that without Emmanuel’s resolute support, he would not have become governor and be celebrated as Governor of the Year.
“This award for me is dedicated to three sets of people. The first person is our Deputy Governor, Her Excellency, Distinguished Senator Akon Eyakenyi, PhD. She has given me all the necessary support.
“The second people are all former governors of this State, from Obong Victor Attah, to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and to the immediate past governor, my political father, Deacon Udom Emmanuel. You know that in this State, God has blessed us with governors that have continuously been raising the bar”.
Eno appreciated the people of the State for their support and for coming out enmasse to receive him, disclosing that he has been nominated for other awards, which will also be dedicated to Akwa Ibom people, generally.
“Standing today, we have about four groups recognizing us as the Governor of the Year; the Leadership newspaper, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) did recognize me as the “Tourism Governor of the Year,” the New Telegraph has recognized us as “The Governor of the Year, Human Capacity Development, 2024, and the Security Watch Africa Initiatives as “Nigeria’s Most Consistent Security Supporting Governor 2024.
He appreciated the founding chairman and Editor-in-Chief of ThisDay and Arise News, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, and the entire management team for identifying and recognizing the modest effort of his administration towards delivering the dividends of democracy to the people, and for their independent assessment.
Eno described the award as his source of inspiration, and assured that his administration will redouble efforts to the development of the State.
“I thank all of those institutions that have recognized what we are doing. Particularly on this occasion, I want to thank ThisDay and Arise TV for their independent assessment, but I also understand that to whom much is given, much is expected.
“I promise you that we will continue to put in our effort, double and redouble our effort to the development of our State. We will not stop until we accomplish all of the things that God has put in our heart through the ARISE Agenda”..
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