By Bassey Nkponam
EKET
The memory of the late First Lady of Akwa Ibom, Mrs Patience Umo Eno, was celebrated in grand style September 26, 2025, as the State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, and his family arranged a memorial service in her honour at the All Nations Christian Centre, Eket.
The event was attended by President Bola Tinubu, Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and others.
Eno said he was strong due to the fact that her good legacies were replicated in the lives of her children, whom she trained in the way of the Lord, adding that his late wife, Patience, was the pillar of the family, a home builder and a wife that never brought pressure on him.
In a deeply emotional reflection, he said his late wife was more than a companion but the very anchor of his journey through life, recalling her unwavering encouragement even at a time when critics dismissed his academic pursuits.
The governor appreciated Tinubu and wife, Oluremi, for their fatherly and motherly support, noting that the First Lady of Nigeria had taken personal interest in mentoring his daughter, Helen, and constantly checking up on the family.
He also thanked the Senate President, Akpabio and wife, Ekaette-Unoma, for their steadfast support, and pledged his loyalty to their leadership, urging Akwa Ibom people to continue to support the President, the Senate President, and his own administration.
Tinubu, represented by Akpabio, described the late First Lady as a woman whose life was devoted to peace and unity.
The President said the late First Lady was a child of God, a good wife, a bridge builder and a peace advocate whose legacy continues to keep Akwa Ibom united, saying though she was gone, her good legacy remains.
Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and governor of Imo, Senator Hope Uzodinma, described the late Patience as “a woman whose works of charity and humility make her worthy of sainthood.”
On behalf of Nigeria’s First Ladies, the wife of the Lagos governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, described the deceased as a woman of uncommon humility and warmth.
Pastor Ebong Eno, on behalf of the children, remembered their mother as “a loving and God-fearing woman who taught discipline, peace, and contentment not only to them as her children, but to everyone around her.
The secretary to the State government, Prince Enobong Uwah, said the late First Lady’s legacy of compassion lives on, adding that her husband, the governor, was carrying forward her vision of touching lives across the state.
The solemn gathering, which drew together Nigeria’s political leaders, first ladies, judiciary, legislature, traditional rulers, clerics, family and the Church, turned into a festival of glowing tributes to the life of service, humility and quiet strength lived by the departed First Lady.
In his homily drawn from 2 Kings 13:14–20, Apostle Lawrence Achudume, reminded believers that how one lives, determines how one will be remembered.
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