By Aniekan Umanah
Can any good thing come out of the barracks? That is the story of the boy who was raised in the barracks and, like the Biblical David, moved from the backside of life to a larger vineyard tending his flocks and fittingly passed as the Good Shepherd Governor of Akwa Ibom State, where he is the Pastor-in-Chief. That good shepherd Governor is Pastor Umo Bassey Eno. Do you know him?
When he presented himself to be voted for as Governor of the State, he made headlines for saying he had never prepared to become a Governor. He is right. He was different from the ones who postured for the office. But God did his. He became the preferred and chosen one.
Everything he passed through in his life would have passed courses if governorship were to be studied in the university. And he passed them with flying colours.
A child of destiny, he began with growing up in the barracks, as he often says. It was God’s way of preparing the man who was not prepared. This allowed him to mix with people across tribes, tongues, faiths, and social backgrounds. Today, as a governor, he has defied divisions, leading as a father to all Akwa Ibom people irrespective of whatever differences and coloration.
By birth, he is from Ikot Ekpene Udo, a community in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State in South-South Nigeria. But if you listen to his flawless Yoruba, you can bet Eno is from one of the States in South West Nigeria. He is not; he is just a Nigerian.
To the credit of his parents and the barracks that raised the boy, his dress sense qualifies him as a fashion consultant. Every outing tells its story from the symbolic combination that defines the event or programme. His tie speaks to his belt, and his shirt communicates with the shoe. Cufflinks whisper to tie clips, and they are always in symphony for a governor who can brighten the cover of Cosmopolitan fashion magazine.
Anyone can wear good clothes, but not everyone can wear humility. Governor Umo Eno is blessed to have both. He wears humility like a second skin, always unassuming and down to earth despite the abiding grace of God in his glittering life.
His social life fires from all cylinders. It comes from his experience as a barracks boy, a pastor, a businessman with an emphasis on hospitality, a public officer, and a latter-day politician. A religious amalgamation of these platforms gives Pastor out as a gregarious good shepherd.
He knows the meaning of loyalty. From Royalty, a business group he nurtured loyally, to Hilltop Mansion, he is loyal to hard work, excellence, innovation, and compassion.
His passion for hard work is commensurate with his compassion for humanity. From his life as a private entrepreneur to a public office holder, he has a first-class in bathing people with the sunshine of smiles by touching their lives and encouraging creativity.
Governor Eno rewards work without words. He detests blowing his trumpet, but hardly a day passes without him giving people the air with which his trumpet can be blown, impacting their lives. Sometimes, he stops on the streets to support struggling traders, a virtue some misunderstood for political showmanship. But he was quick to correct them, noting that his actions were deliberate, having worn such shoes as a child to help his mother’s trade.
He is a good example of an accommodating leader—the kind who makes everyone feel like someone around him. Even as a governor, he believes every opinion counts. He hears from everyone, does not impose his thoughts on people, and submits himself to superior arguments, not minding that he is superior.
Governor Umo Eno is accessible. Those who look for him in the corridors of power are looking for him in the wrong location. He has since moved power from the corridor or even the parlour to the streets. He values the people and exchanges pleasantries with candor because of his philosophy that power belongs to the people and not only to the few privileged ones in the corridors. The kitchen cabinet is outside his dictionary, even when he drove his hospitality business from the kitchen.
The kitchen has been kind to him. His was a sumptuous grace and an aroma of elevation as the kitchen raised him to the pinnacle of the global catering business, where multinationals munched his meals with gladness.
He speaks slowly but firmly and wittingly, too. He is a repository of Akwa Ibom sayings and always garnishes his biblical allusion and anecdotes with such proverbs and idioms that powerfully connect with his roots.
A friend of gadgets, Governor Umo Eno is ICT savvy and strongly believes in the power of modern technology to transform society across sectors. He sleeps and dreams technology and is deploying it for the betterment of the state.
He has a radiant, if not infectious, smile. It looks like his smile is the fuel and propeller of his engine of hard work. That is how he makes work as enjoyable as sports. Remember, sports stand on the two pillars of discipline and creativity. Governor Eno stands behind the pillars.
But with him, it is not just work. He believes when the work is done, then let the happy hour begin. It’s already here with us in Akwa Ibom.
But working with him gives him out as a very organised, meticulous and dexterous leader who strives for perfection in all his hands findeth to do. He has the willpower and is always focused and determined to meet his goals. He draws strength from this to govern the State with a method.
Although he is slow to anger, gentle, and jovial, take him for granted at your peril. His answer to such people is that the hand that appoints can also disappoint. It is safe not to take him there.
He is a realist, and to be fair to him, he does not compromise the doctrine of fairness to all, irrespective of who is involved and whatever sentiment is fanned.
He is the progenitor of the “ministry of reconciliation” in Akwa Ibom State, and from all indications, the ministry is moving to the permanent site. That is the dividend of having a peacemaker as the Governor who is reaching out to all across political party lines but maintaining focus.
It is also worth noting that Governor Eno did not become governor of the Blues. He is not a stranger to wealth or fame. A great achiever, he built an empire from a kiosk. He was already churning out jobs for Akwa Ibom youths and Nigerians as a private entrepreneur where he employed hundreds in his firm, with a substantial monthly wage bill. As a private citizen, he worked for Akwa Ibom, and as a governor, he worked with Akwa Ibom. The office may have changed, but the man always stays the same. He has kept his head above board.
In all of these, the family man in him never dims but remains aglow for the loving husband, caring father, and caring grandfather.
The man who has patience as a virtue also has Patience as a wife. He is married to Her Excellency Pastor Mrs Patience Umo Eno, the progenitor of Golden Initiative for All, GIFA, which was recently launched as the vehicle to spray fragrance on humanity across families.
Pastor Mrs Eno was the first to christen her husband and Governor, the Golden Boy. No wonder her pet project is also a Golden Initiative for All. Together, anything they touch turns to gold and bears fruits for the good of Akwa Ibom State.
His love for children is uncommon. Little wonder he is neck deep in building a future for Akwa Ibom children through policies and programmes in education and across other sectors as are enshrined in his governance Bible, the ARISE Agenda, an acronym for Agricultural Revolution, Rural Development, Infrastructural Maintenance, Security Management, and Educational Advancement, which are the five expandable pillars of the agenda.
He follows the ARISE Agenda methodologically, living his dreams and pursuing his promises to the people when he traversed the 31 local government areas to campaign. We shall return to this in our subsequent elucidation.
The beautiful thing about the handsome governor is that, like David, the good shepherd tends the flock or leads the people with a good heart. That is the happy ending of the story that began in the barracks. The barracks boy has become a good shepherd in government.
It is a story of a man who has no fear on earth. According to him, Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Hence, you cannot have a lion escort if you fear antelopes. Pastor Umo Eno has absolute confidence and trust in God, who took him from the barracks through the stations and divisions of life to the Hilltop Mansion as Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
His journey to the Hilltop Mansion was tortious. He was slammed with 26 litigations and court cases, most of which reached the Apex Court of Nigeria. But in all of these, he emerged victorious and clean.
He is a Supreme Court-confirmed governor in several cases. He was called unprintable names, but he forgave all his accusers and opened wide his arms to embrace them while extending the olive branch to all. That is the man of the people!
Finally, Governor Eno’s staying in power is trusting God and believing in the people entrusted with his care.
