By Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong
First I will like to show an open gratitude for the reactions of many who called, text, slided inbox for the first episode of this solo advocacy where I showed reasons why the departed first lady of Akwa Ibom State Her Excellency Pastor (Mrs) Patience Umo Eno should be immortalized
This next episode will be much more comprehensive but framed with simpler and common examples serving as pointers informing this advocacy.
First as an open reply and show of gratitude to one of the admirers of the late first lady who called from Lagos to asked saying: “Were you very close to her, the husband or the children? Sir, I really appreciate you for this appeal, I support this appeal at 100%. Continue, and God will bless you”, she said.
Frankly, I have never had an interface with the late first lady, nor come close to her at a social distancing of anything near 100 metres. I know none of her children physically except virtually on the social media. The husband? Yes. We have met as persons who share same Local Government Area and with other group of kinsmen, we have met over three times to advocate and campaign for his emergence as Governor of the state when the battle was fierce.
But that is not the issue here. This advocacy is absolutely borne out of my passion for civic duty and as a devotee and ardent believer of a much better Akwa Ibom, I see a need to call for an acknowledgement in perpetuity of a woman who enabled the peaceful Akwa Ibom State we are living in today.
We have never had it so good in this state. Even where Akwa Ibom State has never been enlisted as a bleeding point of acute militancy, insurgency, masses uprising, past administrations of this state have recorded some pockets of crises, violence such as regular kidnapping, abduction, assassination, regular robbery, taking over of LGAs by gorilla groups such as Iso Akpafit in Ukanafun and the likes.
Sixteen months till counting, one man has succeeded to disarm all sorts of hostilities, ethnicism, political partisanship, religious superiority over others and has kept Akwa Ibom people as one people. This is courtesy of a good wife he had.
When an administration and policies of government are anti-people, findings have proven that the wife of the man at the helm of affairs has contributed to it to over an average percentage.
Good Governance dispensed by a man in power is an harvest of the people from a good frame of mind enabled by a good wife.
Late Patience Umo Eno was one who was naturally endowed with divine techniques to midwive good governance which Governor Eno is offering the state today.
Her first encounters with monsters during power struggle was when she killed all her husbands enemies without spilling their blood.
At the entrance of Pastor Umo Eno into the wrestling ring of power in Akwa Ibom State in 2022, some hired jesters were handsomely paid to smear the fair skin of ‘aspirant Pastor Umo Eno’ and made him looks like he was invalid, incapacitated and not qualified.
The evil propaganda from opposing forces was almost believed by a large voting block as they almost de-market the lead aspirant and took him out of circulation besides over fifteen litigations which Pastor Umo Eno had to come out with clean bills of health and proof of competence to hold public office.
While they heated the polity to the peak of its crescendo using Pastor Eno body texture, late Patience Eno disarmed the opposing forces without shooting any missile by saying “he is my Golden Boy”.
Besides acting like a cooling system stationed by an engine on motion, like a war strategist Patience gathered all stones thrown at her husband to built a bridge which both of them crossed over to the Hilltop Mansion.
Today Pastor Umo Eno is the Governor of Akwa Ibom State without hurting a fly. He incidented no litigation for blackmail, assassination of character, defamation, libel and what have you, despite acute provocation which demanded such, this is because at pillow-talks at night with his wife late Patience Eno never encouraged her husband to shoot any missile as reply.
In the history of struggle for power to become the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, no aspirant or winner at the poll has ever face the kind of blackmail and number of litigations Pastor Umo Eno faced before, during campaign and even after election which victory was sealed at the Supreme Court.
The first victory he bagged was a prelude of the birth of the “Golden Era” midwived by late Pastor Patience Eno”
And indeed today Akwa Ibom people are at peace in the spirit of the Golden Era and every sincere and rational Akwa Ibom person will agree with me that while the Arise Agenda is a mantra of Governance encapsulated in a Golden spirit driving with intent and purpose devoid of ethnicism, inequality, tribalism, hatred, social class divide, partisanship, winner takes, the state as whole is pleased with the present governance disposition.
Today the woman who held the patent right of the Golden Era, ‘the Chief Priest’ who instituted the Golden spirit for Akwa Ibom State Government to drive its Arise Agenda is no more, I dare to think that it should be morally right and politically expedient to keep this spirit alive among us to maintain peace and serve as reminder to us to choose the path of forgiveness at the peak of any provocation during power struggle.
Late Patience Umo Eno shouldn’t only be committed to mother earth when her family is ready to do so. Her pet project Golden Initiative For All – GIFA driven today by her daughter shouldn’t be rated as a pay-off in a balance sheet where her rewards are listed. She deserves more than that.
Just like Muritala Muhammed, one of the Nigerian Heads of State who came to power on July 29, 1975 and ruled for just five months and 15 days as he was assassinated on February 13, 1976.
Muritala Muhammed effected a lot of reforms in Nigeria which time and space will fail me here if I should reel them out
To keep the memory of this galant military officer alive, one of the country national assets was named after him. I am referring to Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Abuja.
It does appeared to me [I should be corrected if I am wrong] that late Pastor (Mrs) Patience Umo Eno came in the order of Muritala Muhammed, thus such recognition should be accorded her.
©️ Search, read Part One of this article on 9newsng.com
The writer, Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong is a Senior News Editor of 9NEWS Nigeria, a leading and credible information platform with several million of followers and readers round the globe.
