The Akwa Ibom State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has underscored the importance of the Office of First Lady in the Statem noting that the enormity of responsibilities of the office left vacant by the death of his wife has become too weighty to be allowed to be ignored.
Consequently, he has named his first daughter, Mrs. Helen Eno Obereki, to fill the void left by her mother’s passing, with the responsibility of coordinating the activities of the office.
During a State-wide radio and television broadcast on Friday, upon his resumption of duties following a week mourning period, Governor Eno vowed to sustain the ideals of social empowerment for the very poor and the down-trodden, which his departed wife stood for under her pet project, Golden Initiative For All (GIFA).
Presenting his daughter to the First Lady of Nigeria, Mrs. Okuremi Tinubu, who paid him a condolence visit at Government House, Uyo, the State capital, the governor, who lamented the sad demise of his wife of 38 years, appealed to Mrs. Tinubu, to be her guide in the coordination of responsibilities of her late mother’s office.
He said: “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.”
Responding, the President’s Wife expressed heartfelt condolences to Governor Eno, family and the people of Akwa Ibom State for the sad passing of Mrs Eno and prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed, whom she recalled, was one of the strong pillars in the implementation of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
She assured that her office would work in close liaison with the new coordinator of the State’s First Lady office to ensure effective implementation of the responsibilities of the office working in synergy with the national office.
