Pastor Umo Eno, Ph.D, is today marking his second anniversary as the governor of Akwa Ibom State where he has brought about a paradigm shift in governance and politics.
Since May 29, 2023, when he assumed duties as the chief executive officer of the state, he has made a difference that portrays him as a man of peace and a bridge-builder.
While it is common among Nigerian leaders to display the divide-and-rule tactics to retain power, Governor Eno is doing otherwise. Rather, he is a unifying force, especially among the political class where politics is often played rough and dirty.
Through his bi-partisan approach, he is erasing the word “opposition” from the political lexicon of the state. Hardly does he mention the word that is often derogatorily used on political opponents.
Nigerian political leaders run politics and governance in such a way that the opposition is viewed as not only arch-rivals but enemies, thereby turning the practice of democracy into a sort of civil war among the political class. Usually, the divide between the party in power and the opposition had often wiped out whatever dividends of democracy there could have been to the electorate and the society.
But to the amazement of all, Governor Eno is breathing a new lease of peace and togetherness into all shades of political groupings. His rapprochement with the opposition is not a marriage of convenience but genuinely a way to achieve peace and development.
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Governor Eno’s bi-partisanship should be a perfect case study for politicians and a worthy example to emulate if the society is to reap the benefits of democracy. Therefore, the rancour, acrimony, bitterness and mudslinging that characterized governance in Akwa Ibom State in the past have been erased by the leadership style of Governor Eno, as he sets his eyes towards building, not only a prosperous state but a firmly united one.
There is absolute and divine wisdom in his political approach in the fact that development can hardly take place without a peaceful atmosphere and environment. It must be recalled that the divisive tendencies among the political class in the past caused losses in terms of economic and social development to the state.
Given the conducive atmosphere Governor Eno is creating in the state, the tendency for his ARISE Agenda to succeed is high.
Already, without playing to the gallery, his infrastructural projects are increasing in number and evenly spread to all sections of the state, particularly in the rural areas where he has built model schools and constructed a labyrinth of roads.
But most importantly, his eyes are firmly fixed on bringing the Ibom Deep Seaport to fruition and he has set in motion the political will and economic machinery towards achieving this economic-charger project.
Another attribute of which Governor Eno has come to the fore is his compassion, which he has openly demonstrated to retired civil servants through the payment of their gratuities which, before he came, were left unpaid. In the last two years, pensioners have started smiling again after years of frowning over unpaid gratuities. He has shown compassion to them and that is just the best way to care for the elderly.
His labour-friendly attitude saw the peaceful and harmonious approval and implementation of a new minimum wage in the state while also promising an across-the-board increase in pension.
So far, Governor Eno has continued to enjoy a high approval rating and he is demonstrating through his programmes and projects that he is a man of his own.
