Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has expressed gratitude over the soothing gesture of his fellow governors and other kind-hearted Nigerians towards him as he grieves the demise of his wife, Her Excellency, Pastor (Mrs) Patience Umo Eno.
Governor Eno expressed this sentiments when state Chief Executives under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) paid him a condolence visit at the Hilltop Mansion, Government House, Uyo.
Reflecting on the sacrifices made by the governors to travel all the way from their different states to condole with him and the family, as well as messages, calls and visits from the President, and the nation's First Lady and other well-meaning citizens across Nigeria, Governor Eno described the gestures as warm and comforting, adding that he and his family have drawn a lot of strength from the expression of love.
He reiterated that the late First Lady, Her Excellency, Pastor (Mrs.) Patience Eno, who has been his wife for 38 years lived a successful and fulfilled life and by all standards, was a great achiever.
"It is something that we cannot easily come to terms with. For me, when I talk to people, I tell them this is a lifetime of mourning, you mourn in stages. It is not something you just finish mourning and it is over because as long as you live, you will keep seeing that there is a vacuum.
"But the truth is, the encouragement, the comfort and the support we have received from very well- meaning Nigerians gives us that hope, strength and the ability to continue to look forward.
"It is amazing how this has touched people across party lines. The other day, apart from the press release of His Excellency the President, he also made a personal call. He spent quite some time on phone with me. So the interest that people are taking gives us that comfort and that encouragement and it helps us manage the pain.
"So we want to thank you for coming all the way. To travel from one point to the other and to finally make it to Akwa Ibom is stressful. If people don't love you, they won't do all of that. So this is an indication of that love, and we do not take it for granted," the Governor said.
Expressing the sentiments of the Nigeria Governors' Forum, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq of Kwara State and Chairman of the Forum described the late Mrs Patience Eno as a household name in humanity, describing the feeling of having to lose her as devastating to both members of the Forum and its staff.
He therefore expressed the wish of the Forum that God will grant Governor Eno the fortitude to bear the huge loss and their daughter, Mrs. Helen Obareki, the grace to pilot the pet project and other programmes of the Office of the First Lady.
Speaking earlier, the Governor of Edo State and Chairman, South-South Governors' Forum, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said with the kind disposition and positive energy the deceased First Lady exhibited, it will be difficult to forget her.
He pleaded with the Governor to be consoled by the values she represented and what she stood for in her life time, while he conveyed the condolence of the governors of sister states in the South-South zone.
