October 07, (THEWILL) – Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has debunked reports that he appointed his daughter, Mrs Helen Eno-Obareki, as First Lady of the state, following the passing of his wife, Pastor Patience Umo Eno.
THEWILL recalls that the First Lady died at a hospital on September 26, 2024, surrounded by family members.
During a condolence visit by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the governor said his daughter, as the Special Assistant to his late wife, was in the right position to coordinate the Office of the First Lady.
Speaking at the All Nations Christian Ministry Intl, Eket, on Sunday, the governor described the move for his daughter coordinating the office as a gesture that came more out of a natural outcome, than a product of political expediency. He stated that asking her to coordinate the office would bring healing to the family, keep the office running, and serve as one of the ways he would find comfort.
Emphasising that First Ladies were not appointed, the Governor said in the face of the sad situation of the demise of his wife, it was not only proper but also comforting and assuring for the daughter, who had been her closest assistant, to coordinate the lofty programmes of the office.
Eno said priority attention would be given to his wife’s pet project, “Golden Initiative For All”, and other support programmes for the women, elderly, vulnerable, and the less privileged, adding that the activities could only be sustained with Mrs Eno-Obareki as coordinator due to her experience, exposure, education and access.
“Please listen to me and listen well, First Ladies are not appointed, they come with the governor. I made a statement, and I would like to repeat that statement for the avoidance of doubt.
“Our daughter, Mrs Helen Obareki, will coordinate the office of the First Lady. She had been with the mother from the beginning, and you heard the First Lady of the Nation, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, say ‘The mother introduced her to me’.
“So appointing her as the coordinator is not an appointment of a First Lady. You don’t appoint a First Lady. By appointment, she is a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor and the Coordinator, Office of the First Lady. This is not political, it is natural.
“All I pray for is support and wisdom for her to be able to ensure that none of those programmes will die and that she will bring more insight and innovation to the office.
“The only reason I brought this up again is for clarification, that I am conscious of what I am doing, and it is to bring healing to the family and allow the office to keep running. That’s one of the ways I will be comforted.
“Even when Jesus died, Peter said ‘Choose from amongst us those that were with Jesus’. So, for me, the Office of the First Lady has responsibilities to the women of this state, and my wife had programmes she was running: the GIFA, the support for the elderly and the other programmes, and as long as I remain governor, those programmes will not die.
“There must be a coordinator, and it must be someone that I see daily, someone that can walk into my room and brief me, not a distant person”, he explained.
