It was Americas 36th president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, who said: A compassionate government keeps faith with the trust of the people and cherishes the future of their children. Through compassion for the plight of one individual, government fulfills its purpose as the servant of all the people.
In the last 11 months or thereabouts that Umo Bassey Eno, scion of a policeman, successful businessman, and Founder of the All Nations Christian Ministry, Eket, has been in the saddle as governor of Akwa Ibom State, he has manifested certain character traits that present him in a peculiar hue.
As he turns 60 today, April 24, 2024, a condensed appraisal of his strides thus far, and a look at what he may be remembered for, and the long road ahead would not be out of place.
First, there is a conscious attempt by him to constantly break protocols and do the unusual once he is overcome by melancholy. His near unorthodox ways constitute a logistical challenge to his minders, who are battling to come to terms with his modus operandi. But it appears that the governor has chosen his path already.
Avuncular and charismatic, Governor Eno, nicknamed The Golden Governor by his admirers has also appropriately tagged his time as the states helmsman as The Golden Era.
Thus far, his conduct, actions, and inaction have continued to show the soft side of a grassroots politician, and man in power, who is committed to uplifting 7.2 million Akwa Ibom people and setting them free from the jaws of needless poverty and backwardness.
But beyond introducing a refreshingly different perspective to governance with his soft-heartedness, his sensitive antennae appear to pick up touchy human interest situations promptly, a character trait that many political leaders lack. In activating his, he is well in the process carving for himself, a deserved silhouette of Mr. Compassion.
During Enos electioneering, he initiated the habit of stopping suddenly to interact with street traders, whom he once described as his real friends having practiced that trade as a youngster. Interestingly, this spontaneous exercise has somehow become a trademark of his 11-month-old government.
A short chronicle of these scenarios will do.