Governor Umo Eno's daughter to coordinate the office of the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State

Updated

"It is not an easy task ahead, but to continue to sustain the office of the First Lady, I want to please introduce our daughter, Mrs Helen Eno Obereki, and hand her over to you Ma. 

'She will continue to coordinate the office of Her Excellency. She will be working with all of our mothers, the Deputy Governor, the Commissioner for Women Affairs And Social Welfare, etc."

*His Excellency , Pastor Umo Eno, speaking during a condolence visit by Nigeria's First Lady , Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, at the Hilltop Mansion , Government House, Uyo.

In another PRESS RELEASE 

Mrs. Helen Eno Obareki is Coordinator, Office of the First Lady

Our attention has been drawn to a misreporting by a section of the press on the appointment of Mrs. Helen Eno Obareki as the Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, as well as her substantive appointment as the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor. We wish to set the record straight.

It would be recalled that during the condolence visit by our Nation’s First Lady and Wife of the President, Distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, to Governor Umo Eno last Friday, the Governor had presented his daughter, Mrs. Helen Eno Obareki, as the “Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady” to the Wife of the President.

During the presentation, the Governor was specific on the new title and role Mrs. Obareki would be expected to perform. He had stated that Helen, “having worked closely with her mother in the Office of the First Lady, will now coordinate the activities and functions of the Office of the First Lady to ensure that her pet project, Golden Initiative for All (GIFA), and other initiatives the late First Lady was working on will be continued and expanded. Her new title is the ‘Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady.’”

We are, however, amused to see reports that stated the Governor had “appointed his daughter as the ‘New First Lady.’”

For the avoidance of doubt, First Ladies are not appointed, and there has never been such a precedent before.

While we thank the press for the overwhelming support they have shown since the unfortunate passing of the Wife of the Governor, which the Governor had acknowledged in his State-Wide Broadcast last Friday, we again plead that they respect the privacy of the family at this moment of bereavement through their reportage.

Mrs. Obareki, the newly appointed ‘Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady,’ holds a Bachelor’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from the University of Oklahoma (2011) and a Master’s degree in Business Administration with special concentrations in Human Resources Management from Oklahoma Christian University (2012), United States of America.

Ekerete Udoh

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

10/06/2024

04/10/24

Being text of a broadcast speech by His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno, Governor, Akwa Ibom State on Friday, October 4,2024.

A NOTE OF GRATITUDE 

 

"We are Perplexed but Not in Despair"(2 COR. 4:8)

1. On Thursday, September 26, 2024, my wife of 38 years, Her Excellency, Pastor (Mrs.) Patience (Oluwakemi) Umo Eno, passed on to be with the Lord. Kemi was everything a man could ever wished for in a virtuous woman. My prayer partner, counsellor, cheer-leader, best critic, home maker and permanently smiling. I will miss her for a life time.  

2. On behalf of my family, I wish to express my deepest gratitude and eternal indebtedness to all Akwa Ibomites in particular and Nigerians in general for the incredible outpouring of love, support, prayers and words of encouragement through phone calls and messages of condolence and visits since the unexpected sunset that befell us. This has really encouraged and strengthened us at this time.

 

3. I am particularly thankful to our dear President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his uplifting message of condolence and personal phone call, as well as the Nation’s First Lady, Distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON for the motherly role she played since my wife fell ill till her demise, The Government and people of our State welcome her to the State on her condolence visit. We thank the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, former Presidents and Vice Presidents, the Senate President, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON and wife, former Senate President, Distinguished Senator, Dr. Bukola Saraki, CON, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, CFR, The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), His Lordship, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, (GCON), The Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Distinguished Senator George Akume, my brother Governors, both serving and former, who, individually and through the Nigerian Governors' Forum, sent in their condolences. We are also very grateful for the solidarity shown by Sister Wives of Governors (First Ladies) of the other 35 States of the Federation.

 

4. I am grateful for the message of condolences from former Governor, H.E. Arc. (Obong) Victor Attah, The untiring support and prayers of the immediate past Governor of our dear State, H.E., Udom Emmanuel, CON, and wife, The Chief of Defence Staff, General Chris Gwabin Musa, Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, The Legislators and Judiciary both at the Federal and State level, Members of the Federal Executive Council, our Party, The Peoples Democratic Party, and other political parties led by The All Progressives Congress (APC), YPP and IPAC, other political stakeholders across party lines too numerous to mention here, Members of the Clergy across the nation, CAN, PFN, Fathers in Faith, all other Support Groups, all Labour Unions, Traditional Rulers, members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm (NUJ and NIPR), our people in the Diaspora under the auspices of Akwa Ibom State Association of Nigeria, AKISAN, especially the Mayor and Council President of the City of Upper Arlington, in Ohio, Mayor Ukeme Awakessien Jeter. Our Elders, Our Women, Our Youths, Our students, especially National Association of Akwa Ibom State Students, NAAKISS both past and current leadership in Akwa Ibom State, who again suspended their planned national protests in honour of my dear wife.

 

5 Let me particularly thank our dear people from all strata of life, who have risen in unison across party lines to commiserate with us, through prayers, condolences and phone calls, and even suspended campaign activities to honour the memory of our First Lady. We are deeply grateful.

  

6. Let me emphasize the words of Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Church in 2nd Corinthians 4:8-10 (8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body) KJV. Yes, we are perplexed by the death of my dear wife but we are not in despair, as all things lay bare before God. 

 

7. Let me use this opportunity to assure all that, we will pursue everything she held dear while she was with us. The Golden Initiative for All (GIFA), as well as all other initiatives she had started will be sustained and expanded. 

The machinery of State will continue to function seamlessly as Government will continue to be alive to her responsibilities. Our focus will not be shifted from rendering services to our people with renewed strength as this is what Kemi has always prayed for.

8. Let me appreciate you my dear people for honouring the demise of my late wife, with the flag being flown at half mast for seven (7) days, that would come to an end on Saturday, October 5, 2024.

9. Permit me to commend our security agencies for maintaining the peace during this solemn moment in our dear State and urge them to do more to maintain the peace, as we go into the Local Government Elections.

 

10. Finally, I must confess that your words of encouragement have helped a great deal in comforting us at this moment of great loss, grief and bereavement. I trust that you will continue to respect our privacy as we journey through this grief.

 

11. Further announcements on the burial arrangements will be made public at the appropriate time as we will not mourn as those who have no hope in Christ Jesus. 

Thank you and God bless us all.

LG POLLS: ROGUE POLICEMEN BREAK RSIEC GATE, STRONG ROOM TO STEAL ELECTORAL MATERIALS•Gov Fubara Foils Attempt To Cart Away Materials

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has foiled an attempt by the Nigerian Police, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), to take over the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) at 1 AM on Friday, 4th October, 2024. 

The rogue policemen were said to have attempted to scale through the gates and strong room of the Commission to cart away sensitive Electoral materials meant for the conduct of Saturday's local government election in the State.

However, the evil plots of the rogue policemen and DC Ops were botched when vigilant security officials alerted principal officers of the Commission and relevant government authorities, who immediately informed the Governor of the development.

The Governor immediately led a team of government officials, lawmakers from the National Assembly and State House of Assembly, top political stakeholders, and other leaders to storm the facility.

Addressing newsmen in front of RSIEC Office on Aba Road in Port Harcourt, after an encounter with the rogue policemen, the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara condemned the conduct of the  policemen on illegal duty, saying that the IGP was taking his friendship with some Abuja-based politicians too far.

He restated the position that the attempt to surreptitiously withdraw policemen already deployed to protect the facility, and replace them with a detachment from a neighbouring State was unacceptable.

He reminded the IGP that local government election was the internal affairs of states, and advised him to allow the federation unit conduct its affairs without interference. 

At present, the Chief of Staff, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and State and National Assembly members, alongside other stakeholders, are manning the RSIEC office to ensure that the rogur policemen in two trucks and two Hilux vehicles do not return and that elections will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday.

Signed

Nelson Chukwudi 

Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State Governor 

Friday, October, 2024