The Senior Special Assistant to Akwa Ibom State Governor on Research and Documentation, Dr. Essien Nduenso, has praised Governor Umo Eno, stating that his bottom-to-top leadership approach predates his administration as the state governor.
According to Nduenso, since the inception of his administration in May 2023, Governor Eno has distinguished himself as a compassionate leader who ensures that the vulnerable receive priority in resource allocation.
“The act of displaying generosity, compassion, and humility by Governor Umo Eno to Akwa Ibom people, especially the downtrodden, is not a sudden attribute but has been indelible in the life of the Governor long before he ventured into state politics,” the aide explained.
Dr. Ndueso, speaking on a live television program in Uyo, recalled that even before the Governor’s appointment as commissioner, he had consistently reached out to the less privileged, demonstrating his commitment to philanthropy.
“That generosity was the reason he directed that all gifts and goodwill to him on his landmark 60th birthday be channeled to orphanages, vulnerable, and downtrodden in society.
“This resulted in an unprecedented unleashing of love by individuals and groups to less privileged people across the entire State.
“There’s a program that some youths organize, known as Save Our Youths Initiative, where budding entrepreneurs would gather, present their business plans, and how they hope to succeed.
“Pastor Umo Eno was one of those who sponsored that program yearly and also offered incentives to those people to expand their businesses, same with his Ibom Ignite project,” he added.
He commended the Governor for his demonstration of love and humility, which he said is evident to all.
“Humility fits him like a second skin. Here is a Governor, even before he was a commissioner, and then he became a commissioner, it’s the same humility we all see in him.
“And then as the Governor, he is still that humble Pastor Umo Eno that we all knew back then in Eket,” he noted.
Dr. Ndueso praised Pastor Umo Eno for his compassionate leadership initiatives that have impacted the lives of many Akwa Ibomites, especially at the grassroots level.
“Within this period, we have had homes for the vulnerable built by the Governor.
“He is planning to build four hundred and so far, thirty are at varying stages of completion.
“And then we have had free food for the needy made available through the Bulk Purchase Agency that he also created.
“Akwa Ibom State has recorded a first such that other States of Nigeria are now seeing how they can come and emulate.
“Some of them have asked the model we are using in the state to reach out to the less privileged across all of the nooks and crannies of the state.”
Dr. Ndueso also praised the Governor’s infrastructure development efforts, particularly in improving road networks.
He emphasized that Governor Eno’s actions have dispelled propaganda about him not being compassionate or politically inclined, highlighting the Governor’s commitment to peace and reconciliation.
“The Governor wants all hands on deck to build the State, irrespective of party affiliation because at the end of the Governor’s administration, people are going to ask him what he did for the Akwa Ibom people and not how many political battles he won.”
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The senior aide also highlighted the Governor’s initiative for the elderly, where senior citizens are provided financial support through the ARISE initiative.
“This Governor is not just sitting in an office, he also goes out himself to check whether they are carrying out the assignment in exactly the way he had envisaged.
“He wants the benefits to trickle down to everyone, irrespective of political party. So that shows you that he is not doing this thing for politics. And he said it that when he is giving out these incentives to people, he is not giving it out to PDP people but to Akwa Ibom people.”
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