A’Ibom Is Blessed To Have Pastor Eno As Governor – Ntuk Udeh

The political adviser to Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Godwin Ntuk Udeh, has described the emergence of Pastor Umo Eno as governor as a big blessing to the entire state.

Prince Udeh, who spoke in an interview over the weekend, also hailed the governor for using his blueprint, the ARISE Agenda, to positively impact the lives of Akwa Ibom people and others.

The one-time commissioner for transport, who also applauded the bipartisan political disposition of the governor, highlighted that his era has brought more unity and development to the people than in the past.

According to him, “I can say authoritatively that Pastor Umo Bassey Eno’s emergence on the political scene of Akwa Ibom State is indeed a big blessing. My impression is that God loves Akwa Ibom and wants the state to continuously move on the trajectory of peaceful co-existence and development.

He averred, “That is why previous administrations did their best and left visible legacies. However, one year is not long enough to assess him like others, whose assessment is made over eight years. But in just one year, Governor Eno has brought a bipartisan approach to politics and leadership that is issue-based and people-centred.

Related: Gov. Eno Offers A N200M Interest-free Loan To Arewa Community

“He has been able to demonstrate practically that after politics, governance follows. He has broken the dichotomy between politics and governance. He has forgotten those who were against him, who prayed against him, and, prayed against his predecessor too.

“He has embraced the opposition politicians who worked against him and his predecessor, who ensured his emergence as governor. He has overlooked the bitter politics of the past to enable him to implement his vision for the people without impediment.

“He has opened his hands, heart and doors to all Akwa Ibomites regardless of party affinity, religion, opinion and earlier positions held. He is a very unbiased and people-centric governor. You can see how he has embraced and is synergizing with a former state governor and now Senate president, His Excellency, Senator Godswill Akpabio, wholeheartedly to move the state forward.

“He attended the inauguration ceremony of the Senate president, went to his house, and went to the reception ground. He broke protocol to go to the airport to receive him on a private visit to the state.”

He further highlighted, “He has not only received him in the State Executive Council but had organised a state banquet in his honour and also recently appeared with all his allies in the stadium to join the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District to receive the Senate president. That is a case in point.

“All those who worked against his emergence and those who fought his political father and predecessor have decided to forget that as part of politics, but now under governance, he has embraced all those people, believing they will sin no more. A few days ago, he directed me to go to a big city in Nigeria to witness the birthday celebration of the chairman of an opposing party that worked assiduously—in fact, violently—against him. But that was politics. Under governance, he has forgiven and forgotten all of that.

“Again, there are units, wards and local government that voted against him, but his administration has insisted on having one project per local government area, which is ongoing and the governor insisted that there must be two such projects every year in every local government area, be it hospitals, schools, roads or any project dear to the hearts of the people. And it must fit into his ARISE Agenda model. The Arise Agenda model is the Christ the King School, which is the standard, the signature and the flagship. He has picked at least one person from every unit to form an organisation called Akwa Ibom Neighbourhood Watch. The governor has appointed one personal assistant in every ward in the state.

“There could not have been a better grassroots-based policy, programme and vision like the ARISE Agenda, which is tailored to making the rural people the main centre of development to avert rural-urban migration and further stem the tide of insecurity, poverty and underdevelopment.”