By Essien Ndueso
On December 18, 2025, the serene premises of the Prayer City, Mountain of Fire Ministries, Magboro, became the setting for a deeply reflective and inspiring moment as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD, delivered the Convocation Lecture at the Mountain Top University’s seventh Convocation Ceremony. What was expected to be a formal academic address evolved into an evocative narrative of vision, resilience, passion and faith.
Despite an exceptionally demanding schedule, which included preparations for the Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol Festival widely regarded as Nigeria’s largest, Governor Eno honoured the University’s invitation. Amidst several other competiting events and activities, Governor Umo Eno, known generally as Big Daddy, elected to undertake the rigorous journey from Akwa Ibom to Ogun State, driving for more than an hour from the Murtala Muhammad International Airport Lagos, through the heavily congested roads in Ikeja through the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway. His presence underscored a philosophy he has consistently embodied: leadership is service, and service demands sacrifice. Framing his governance through the lens of compassion and Christian values, he presented the ARISE Agenda not merely as a policy framework but as a moral commitment to uplift the vulnerable.
But his deep interest in the welfare of the vulnerable, who now form his first line of charge, stems from his own story- a young man from a humble family, whose determination, sagacity and focus, led him to overcome the challenges thrown at him by life, to rise to the top, both in his private business, in God’s vineyard and in public service.
The lecture’s theme, “Dream Big, Start Small, Grow Fast,” was not rhetorical flourish but a distilled philosophy drawn from lived experience. Addressing the graduands, Governor Eno cautioned against entitlement mentality and the lure of quick success. True achievement, he insisted, is forged through discipline, creativity, integrity, and sustained effort. Success, in his words, is not inherited, it is earned.
In one of the most poignant moments of the lecture, Governor Eno recounted his humble beginnings. As the son of a police officer who died in active service, he assumed responsibility early in life, assisting his mother by hawking soft drinks on the streets of Lagos in the early 1980s. Yet, even amid these challenges, he excelled academically at Victory High School, Ikeja, where he served as Senior Prefect an early testament to character and leadership.
He reflected without resentment on the discrimination he endured because of his skin colour, acknowledging how ridicule became the crucible that refined his determination. From those formative years emerged an entrepreneurial spirit that would later give rise to one of Akwa Ibom State’s largest hospitality conglomerates, built from a modest five-room hotel. Ironically, the very trait once mocked would come to symbolize his leadership of the “Golden State.”
“On one occasion, a teacher turned to my classmate and told him point blankly, Gbenga, what are you doing with this Barracks Boy, don’t you know he has no future ambition in life? Any other person would have felt resentment and withdrawn. But rather than get deterred by such comments, Umo Bassey Eno challenged himself to disappoint those who had written him off. I hawked on the streets of Ikeja and today, when I see women selling on the road, I ask my driver to stop so that I can support their businesses. If the security people try to discourage me, I jump off from the vehicle, because I was once like those people.”
Everyone says that Pastor Umo Eno has demystified governance with a rare display of humility and love for the people. A General who charges in front on the battleground,he is not just that governor who sits on an armchair in the office to rely on reports and memos. Just like he did last year, he has foreclosed any decision by contractors to embark on vacation during this year’s Yuletide, urging them rather to remain on site and avail themselves of the opportunity offered by the dry season window. It was a subtle yet powerful reminder that leadership is demonstrated not in comfort, but in commitment.
This leadership approach largely accounts to the achievements he has recorded in office, fetching for himself numerous national and international acclamation. Highlighting tangible outcomes of his administration before the graduands, Governor Eno spoke of 335 out of the targeted 500 fully furnished compassionate homes built for widows, monthly 50,000 naira extended to over 600 senior citizens, the clearance of ₦75 billion in gratuity arrears, the food items to the poorest of the poor, among others welfare packages.
Education, he emphasized, remains central to sustainable development. His government has established 31 model primary schools, built three secondary schools, upgraded a college to university status, and introduced bursaries, free examination fees, and wardrobe allowances for teachers.
In healthcare, he declared a state of emergency to stem professional brain drain, while investing in a 350-bed international hospital and enrolling 10,000 elderly citizens into a state-supported health insurance scheme. Infrastructure development has seen the rehabilitation of over 1,000 kilometres of roads, complemented by youth development centres and a sports academy. These milestones, he noted, align with a personal conviction he articulated at his inauguration: having risen from life’s lowest rungs, he would remain the voice and champion of those at the margins.
In summary, his message to the Mountain Top University convocants, compromising 282 undergraduates with 42 first class honours, 64 Postgraduate Diploma / Masters and 9 with doctoral degrees, charged them on dream without limits, but built with patience and principle as there is yet to exist, any shortcuts to enduring success. While character, humility, and honest labour remain the true currencies of legacy.
With a prayer for God’s guidance and excellence, Governor Umo Eno sent the graduands forth not merely as degree holders, but as future builders of purpose and impact.
“Whenever I remember my small beginnings and how God stepped in to arrange my path and the people who led me to the point He had destined for me, I am in awe of His mercies and grace. God can and will do the same for you, but you must learn to start something, grow something, dream of something, and put in the hard work.”
