PST. MRS. PATIENCE UMO ENO LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK, DEPARTED A HEROINE
...Appeared in hall of Fame of first ladies in Akwa Ibom State.
By: Solomon Essiet
"And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief" Willam Gullen Bryant
Should we cry like those without hope? No! Not when she came, saw and conquered. Late Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Eno departed this sinful world triumphantly, having lived a life of service to humanity and registered her name in the hall of Fame of first ladies in Akwa Ibom State. The likes of:-
✅ Late Mrs. Jacinta Tunde Obgeha, Sept. 28, 1987 - Aug. 1, 1988
✅ Mrs. Eniye Patience Abbe, Aug. 1, 1988 - Sept. 9, 1990
✅Mrs. Uduak Idongesit Nkanga, Sept. 9, 1990 - Jan. 2, 1992
✅Late Mrs. Imo Isemin, Jan. 2, 1992 - Nov. 17, 1993
✅ Mrs. Wulakai Bako, Dec. 15, 1993 - Aug. 21, 1996
✅ Mrs. Joseph Adeusi, Aug. 21, 1996 - Aug. 10, 1998
✅Mrs. Princess John Ebiye, Aug. 10, 1998 - May 29, 1999
✅Mrs. Nneyin Allison Attah, May 29, 1999 - May 29, 2007
✅Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, May 29, 2007 - May 29, 2015
✅Mrs. Martha Udom, May 29, 2015 - May 29, 2023
✅Late Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Eno, May 29, 2023 - September 26, 2024.
It was Horace Mann that said "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity".
Late Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Eno did not leave without winning victories for humanity as a wife, mother, grand mother, Pastor, All Nations Christian Ministry Int'l, First Lady, Akwa Ibom State, and the Progenitor of Golden Initiative for All (GIFA), various platforms of which she used to add value to so many lives in her lifetime.
Thursday 26th September, 2024, came innocently just like any other day, but left cruelly with our golden mother without notice, leaving the entire first family of Akwa Ibom State and all Akwa Ibomites to mourn the memories of our Amazon, the "Eka Iberedem" of Akwa Ibom State. A practical woman leader, who supported her husband, His Excellency, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, in building and nurturing the All Nations Christian Ministry Int'l, from scratch about 20 Years ago, stood by him as he established the royalty group of Companies and run it successfully for the past 27 Years, snowballing into a global brand in hospitality industry and later supporting her husband morally, spiritually, physically to emerge as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on 29th May, 2023, when the opportunity presented itself for a meteoric rise in politics. Late Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Eno could better be described as a virtuous woman and a woman of substance. No wonder she made the list of about 12 women that ever tested the office of the first lady of Akwa Ibom State, amongst several millions of women hoping to achieve her kind of success in life and ministry.
Unknown to many, she established her pet project "Golden Initiative for All" (GIFA), since December 2022, even before her beloved husband was sworn into office as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on 29th May, 2023. A foundation focused on providing shelter, food and Education to the poor and vulnerable in Akwa Ibom State. Her feeding Initiative, which started on a small scale, expanded to feed hundreds of children daily, ensuring no child in her care went to bed hungry. Pastor Patience, during her lifetime dedicated herself to the educational advancement of underprivileged children, sponsoring their tuition fees, providing school supplies, ensuring they had an opportunity to succeed academically. She initiated several vocational and financial empowerment Programmes aimed at helping the women in her community to gain skills and financial independence. She played an active role in organizing medical outreach programmes, offering free check-ups, vaccinations, and health education to undeserved communities, particularly focusing on children and elderly.
Late Pastor Mrs. Umo Eno initiated the "Golden Boy" mantra, when the goings were tough during the Gubernatorial campaign, as some insensitive individuals took to a rather unpopular parttern, raining all forms of abusive words on the then Peoples Democratic Party's candidate, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, calling him unprintable names. Her ingenuity in calving out the name " The Golden Boy", based on the husband's skin nature, became a major game changer and provided renewed narratives amongst the followers of the Peoples Democratic Party's candidate; leading to a major victory during the scheduled gubernatorial election on March 18, 2023.
Other achievements of the late first lady, Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Eno in office under the platform of (GIFA), includes caring for the women with multiple birth, just like Mary Slessor. During her numerous visits to hospitals across the three Senatorial Districts that made up Akwa Ibom State, she was heard cheering up the mothers involved in multiple birth, paying hospital bills, giving them cash and provisions, while also praying for them.
During such empowerment Programme for mothers of multiple birth children in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, she explained that the provision of monthly stipends to the families is to ameliorate the burden of caring for multiple birth children.
Speaking further, she said "These children will bring you good and they will do you good. They will bring you blessings, with these children, your fame will spread abroad, people will come to respect you because of these babies you are carrying".
"You have seen the goodness and the kindness of God. It is worth celebrating and that is why you and I are here today. I love twins and that is why I put everything I can into this. I want you to appreciate this love further by loving these children.". Such were her kind words and prayer for the mothers with multiple birth. Indeed, Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Eno was a virtuous woman and a caring mother.
Through the ARISE Initiative for elders, she keyed into the "Renewed Hope Initiatives - better life for families, a pet project of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. Elderly Citizens were empowered financially to the tune of 50,000 Thousand Naira Monthly to support their sources of livelihood. Hundreds of Elders have so far benefited from the Initiative.
It was Claude Campbell that quips "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die". People like Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Bassey Eno don't die. Rather, they live in the hearts of those they have shown love. And in the case of our loving mother. She lives in our hearts and will be cherished forever, for all that she has done for the people of Akwa Ibom State. Adieu "Eka Iberedem nnyin". We will meet to part no more.
On behalf of my family, I pray for the good Lord to comfort His Excellency, the entire first family and the good people of Akwa Ibom. Let us be consoled in the words of Jim Morrison which says that "No one here gets out alive". We will all meet again at the resurrection morning.
Pst. Solomon Essiet (ACIA)
Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
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