At last, succour has come the way of Miss Abigail Okon Edet, an orphan abandoned at birth, but rescued at the point of death and raised as a toddler at children’s orphanage to adulthood by Akwa Ibom State government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.
After her basic education, she secured admission to the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), where she bagged her Bachelors of Science (B.Sc) degree in Economics.
For this resilient spirit to defy poverty and get out of the bleak situation surrounding her life, luck has smiled on her as the state governor, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, has approved the immediate employment of Miss Edet, into the state civil service.
The governor granted the approval during the formal opening and inspection of the Akwa Ibom State Government Pavilion at the ongoing Christmas Unplugged, 2025 held along Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo.
Exercising his prerogative powers, Governor Eno waived all conditions and approved Abigail’s instant employment into the State Civil Service, with deployment to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service (HoCS), “to ensure proper mentorship.”
“I approve the immediate employment of this young girl into the State Civil Service and direct the Head of the Civil Service and the Civil Service Commission, to implement this decision without delay, and deploy her to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service for mentorship.
“I am proud of her for rising above difficult circumstances, with government support, to become a graduate. No one should allow the circumstances of birth or life’s challenges to limit their success. Everyone is born with a purpose,” the governor admonished.
He, therefore, urged young people not to be defined or limited by their background, place of origin, or life’s challenges, encouraging them never to give up on life.
However, Miss Abigail, fighting back tears, while sharing her emotional life story, recounted surviving abandonment, rejection, and multiple attempts on her life before being rescued in 2010 by the State Government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, and admitted into the Special Children’s Home, Uyo.
She went on to study Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Uyo, graduated in 2023, and completed her NYSC on 7th August 2025.
In her emotion – laden recollection of her trajectory of life,Abigail said her road to freedom was strewn with thorns.
“I would have been long gone and forgotten. My grave would have been filled with grass by now if not for the intervention of the Government of Akwa Ibom State through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.
“God bless Governor Umo Eno, and his Government. God bless the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare. God bless my fellow siblings in the five government homes. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The Governor, therefore, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to child protection and inclusive governance, describing Abigail’s journey as a powerful testament to the life-changing impact of compassionate leadership.
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