Gov. Umo Eno (right) assisting the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike in commissioning one of the road projects.
By Essien Ndueso
I make bold to borrow this coinage from Usman Alkali, a former Inspector General of Police, who during the just concluded Security Tax Fund launch in Uyo had eulogized the Governor for his humility and passion in ensuring peace in the State. For him, Umo Eno is sincere, humble, and peaceable, and these attributes have placed the State as a model for peace.
In an age where political rivalry too often overshadows the call to service, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State is writing a fresh chapter,one defined not by division, but by unity, peace, and inclusive development. His leadership style, reminiscent of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s welcoming disposition, reflects a simple yet powerful truth: progress knows no party lines.
This truth came alive during the commissioning of the Ikot Esu–Otomo–Azumini Road, a landmark 15.13-kilometre project inherited from the administration of former Governor Udom Emmanuel. Stretching from Ika in Akwa Ibom into Abia State, with 3.5 kilometres lying within Ukwa East local government of Abia State, the road is more than asphalt and concrete. It is a symbol of connectivity linking all the clans in Ika Local Government, while providing easier access to neighbouring South East States and beyond.
By completing and commissioning this project, Governor Umo Eno has proven once again that development transcends politics. Standing tall at the event was the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike a PDP stalwart invited by Governor Eno to cut the ribbon on a project executed by an APC government. It was a moment that echoed the President’s decision to bring Wike into his cabinet despite their political differences. The message was clear: competence, not party card, should drive progress.
For Ika people, the road has already become a lifeline, binding three clans together while creating smoother connections to trade, education, and healthcare. For Akwa Ibom State, it represents something even deeper,the triumph of peace and unity over division.
History is full of lessons, and Governor Eno is a keen student. He has often pointed out that in places where peace is absent, development stalls. Wike himself can attest to this: Rivers State just ended a six-month state of emergency, during which no meaningful projects were commissioned because peace had taken flight. Akwa Ibom, on the other hand, has nurtured peace as its greatest asset. Indeed, it was a peace mantra instituted by the immediate past Government of Udom Emmanuel, that birthed the Umo Eno era.
From day one, Governor Eno has worn peace like a garment. In one of his recent speeches, he declared that he had “no business inheriting anyone’s enemies.” For him, the true business of leadership lies in bringing all interests, all shades of opinion, and all groupings together to build a United Akwa Ibom.
This philosophy has given birth to the state’s newest and perhaps boldest identity since its creation: “Akwa Ibom United” also called “The United State of Akwa Ibom.” With this mantra, the governor is erasing the lines of political, ethnic, and geographical segregation that once limited the spirit of collective progress.
This peaceable stance, may not situate well with certain people, especially those who usually make commercial capitals from crises scenarios. The political merchants who may have been rendered redundant in their war – war philosophy, especially when Pastor Eno believes that the funds which would have gone into arresting political impasse, can make more meaning in the construction of rural infrastructure and empowerment of the less privileged.
The enthusiasm at Ika during the road commissioning attested to this new wave. People from every walk of life, farmers, traders, civil servants, youths, and elders turned out in their numbers, not for a political rally, but for a celebration of development. What they witnessed was rare in Nigerian politics: a governor who places the people before politics, and development before division.
Umoenoism is refreshing. It shows that a leader does not have to deepen rivalries to gain relevance. Instead, by choosing peace, by valuing unity, and by opening doors to those once seen as political adversaries, he charts a course that could well redefine governance in Nigeria. Quote me right, past leaders in the State performed remarkably well, despite the fierce political rivalry, that polarized the state across party and structural lines. It can only be imagined, the magnitude of progress that a more united common front will achieve for the State.
In truth, development has a strong and unbreakable bond with peace. Where there is peace, there is progress. Where there is unity, there is growth. And where there is inclusiveness, there is sustainability. Akwa Ibom today stands as a proof of this assertions.
Umoenoism is not just about roads, bridges, or catchphrases. It is about a vision: a state where politics bows to progress, where enemies give way to allies, and where the future is built together. In this vision, Akwa Ibom is not just a state, it is a family, united in peace and moving forward in development.
Dr. Ndueso is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation.
