May 12, (THEWILL)- In a move to impact humanity and share love with the less privileged in the society, which the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, is known for, the Arewa Community in the state, on Sunday, visited the Qua Iboe Church Leprosy Hospital, Ekpene Obom, Etinan Local Government Area, to distribute food items to the patients.
Leading the delegation, the Chairman of the Arewa Community in Akwa Ibom State and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Non-Indigene Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Ogbole, flanked by the Special Assistant, Arewa Community, Alhaji Ibrahim Ilya, stated that the visit was a fulfilment of the Governor’s instruction that all celebrations for his birthday should be channelled to touching the lives of the indigent in the society.
The SSA, who poured encomiums on Pastor Eno, stressed that the Governor has come to the State to change the face of governance by making it more people-centric and participatory. He was enthused that the disposition and exemplary leadership style of Governor Eno had compelled them to follow suit, which resulted in their visitation to the inmates of the Leprosy Hospital.
In his words: “It could be recalled that the Governor gave specific instructions concerning his birthday. It was his wish that all celebrations marking his 60th birthday should be focused on reaching out to those who are less fortunate in our midst.
“It is in the light of this that we are visiting your facility today. Since he came on board, the Governor has worked tirelessly to ensure that the principles outlined in his A.R.I.S.E agenda blueprint are brought to the fore.
“From agriculture to rural infrastructure to security and education, His Excellency has worked the talk. In agriculture, he has made overreaching interventions to ensure food sufficiency. He has established a Bulk Purchase Agency to subsidise food supplies thereby ameliorating the hardship occasioned by the current food crisis in the country. Also, he has declared the first and third Fridays of the month for workers to go to the farm.
“He has not lagged in the improvement of our rural infrastructure. He has shown remarkable love for those in the rural areas as exemplified in the Arise Compassionate Homes and he has also initiated several road projects, some of which have been commissioned. With regards to security, His Excellency has created the Ministry of Internal Security and Waterways.
“In education, he has been largely proactive through several interventionist strides which will bring succour to the educational sector. Indeed, Pastor Umo Eno is a man of his word and if he has accomplished this much during his short stay in office, we can only imagine what the State will look like at the completion of his tenure.
“We are also grateful to Pastor Umo Eno for being a father who is blind to ethnic and tribal sentiments. His style of leadership is devoid of prebendalism. This is our way of thanking him for the appointment of a Senior Special Assistant on Non-Indigene Affairs and a Special Assistant, Arewa Community.
“Today, we commemorate his birthday and celebrate him as a compassionate Governor. We want you all to know that Pastor Umo Eno is aware of your plight and he will do everything possible to ensure that governance will reach you and at the end of the day, you will thank God that he came.”
Also speaking, the Sarki Hausawa of Akwa Ibom, Sarki Hassan Sadauki, thanked the Governor for the peace and ease of operating business they are enjoying in the State. He emphasised that Pastor Umo Eno has provided a convivial environment to accommodate all non-indigenes regardless of tribe, ethnicity and dialect.
He further stressed that the disposition of the Governor in all his interactions with non-indigene residents in the State has shown that he is a man who looks beyond the issues that divide but is rather focused on promoting unity, love and peaceful co-existence.
In their remarks, the male representative of the patients, Mr. Sunday Friday Etukudoh, and the female representative, Mrs. Grace Okon Ekong, thanked the Arewa Community for visiting them and prayed that God should bless Governor Umo Eno and the community for their show of love.
The high point of the visit was the presentation of a live cow to the facility as well as foodstuffs and cash tokens.
