The team responsible for building the houses has already contacted the couple to begin constructing their new home, courtesy of Governor Umo Eno
By Aniekan Umanah
He has earned for himself the sobriquet – Mr. Compassion. Everything he does is infused with compassion, reaching out across all segments and trickling down to the grassroots. He makes doing good look attractive and easy. This is the positive side of an overdose of compassion, with no side effects.
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno is fast-tracking development across the nooks and crannies of the State and depositing joy and happiness in the people. Yes, you may call him the Governor on call!
If the Governor’s compassion for the vulnerable through the provision of free food was significant, it is even more pronounced in the Compassionate Homes initiative, which he is building for those who never hoped to own a home. It is a story of compassion. Currently, the Pastor-Governor is traveling across the state, inaugurating and donating fully built and furnished homes to widows and other vulnerable families under the ARISE Compassionate Homes initiative, working through members of the State Executive Council.
His compassionate disposition is insatiable. To him, compassion is an endless exercise, with each accomplishment leading to another like a baton in a relay race.
Such was the experience of Elder Sampson Udoh and his wife, Regina, in Ikot Nkan, Onna Local Government Area. Pastor Eno”s action regarding the family is as emotional as their story is moving. Indeed, the moral lesson teaches that people should be their brothers’ keepers.
When their neighbor, Stella, a widow, was contacted as a potential beneficiary of the Governor’s Compassionate Home, she did not have land to build on. At that point, the compassionate couple donated their piece of land to the widow so the gesture would not pass her by. Today, the widow has moved into her tastefully furnished two-bedroom apartment, which has opened the door for Governor Eno’s compassion to extend to another family, the good neighbors.
Upon hearing how these neighbors showed kindness by donating their land, the kind-hearted Governor directed that they, too, receive a share of compassion with a gift of a three-bedroom apartment, larger than the widow’s two-bedroom flat they had helped her obtain. Governor Umo Eno believes such kindness deserves appreciation, so society can learn that whatever one wishes for others can come back manifold.
The team responsible for building the houses has already contacted the couple to begin constructing their new home, courtesy of Governor Umo Eno.
Their gesture to the widow was purely sacrificial, as they never expected any form of reward. To put it in perspective, this couple also lived in poverty, in a thatched house, and never considered asking if they deserved such intervention themselves.
Today, Governor Eno has answered a prayer they did not pray. He has extended his compassion to accommodate all.
One dose of compassion has led to an overdose for the good of humanity.
Pastor Eno has made compassion communicable and exciting, winning ambassadors for the ARISE project through exemplary attitudes that elevate people like the couple in Ikot Nkan, Onna.
Governor Eno is under-promising and over-delivering, fulfilling both promised and unpromised tasks without fanfare.
He works quietly with dedication and diligence, exceeding expectations with passion and compassion, never seeking recognition.
The governor’s integrity is rock-solid, evident in his reliability. His aversion to boasting about his accomplishments teaches everyone the lesson of modesty.
Governor Eno leads by example and from the front. He inspires others through consistent efforts, prioritizing results over rhetoric. He stands out in excellence while his competence and steadfastness shine through.
There could not have been a better way to appreciate the luminary in the faculty of compassion, who has administered an acceptable overdose of compassion to ensure the needy people in Akwa Ibom rejoice.
Indeed, the people are rejoicing because a man of the people is on the throne at Hilltop Mansion. His name is Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
* Umanah is a former House of Representatives member.