The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Dr Essien Ndueso said the governor’s act of generosity and humility paved the way for his emergence as the governor of the state.
Ndueso in a live television programme in Uyo, recalled that even before Governor Eno was first appointed into government, he had always been reaching out to the less privileged, an affirmation that he has always been a giver.
He said, “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 the society.
“This resulted in an unprecedented unleashing of love by individuals and groups to less privileged people across the entire State.
“There’s a programme that some youths organize, known as Save Our Youths Initiative, it’s a programme that budding entrepreneurs would gather, put out their business plans and how they hope to make it.
“All of them would sell their products, and in different categories, winners would emerge.
“Pastor Umo Eno was one of those who sponsored that programme yearly and also offered incentives to those people to go expand on their businesses, same with his Ibom Ignite project.”
He commended the Governor for his exhibition of natural love and humility before and after he became Governor, which he said is glaring for all to see.
He further said, “Within this period, we have had the 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 the free food for the needy made available through the Bulk Purchase Agency that he also created.
“So we have people who don’t have means of getting food for themselves – just as we have in advanced societies, we’re also having to take care of the Akwa Ibom people.
“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.”
He said the Governor’s actions have since silenced the propaganda about the Governor not being a giver or a politician, saying that the Governor has shown that he is a compassionate person.
He said the magnanimity of Pastor Eno as Governor is also witnessed in the ARISE initiative for the Elderly, where elderly people across the State are selected and given fifty thousand Naira to senior citizens of the State through his ARISE Initiative for the elderly.
“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.“ Ndueso said.
