Enọ makes daughter first lady, receives Remi Tinubu’s endorsement
Gov Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has appointed her daughter, Helen, Acting First Lady of the State.
Enọ, who lost his wife, Patience, about a fortnight ago, made this public, Friday, 4 October, 2024, while receiving the wife of President Bola Tinubu, Senator Remi Tinubu, who paid him a condolence visit in Uyo.
He said she and Patience got married when she was 19, and he, 22, and regretted that she died when she did, leaving him distraught.
Said he, “We went through many challenges together, and we shared in both victories and losses. Her passing is an irreplaceable loss for me. She was my embodiment of the biblical virtuous woman, my greatest supporter, and also my toughest critic. Her absence will be felt for the rest of my life.”
The governor said that he was confident in the daughter’s capacity to effectively run the office, informing that she would work closely with the State Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, and the Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, to keep alive the late wife’s pet project, Golden Initiative for All (GIFA).
Remi, who was accompanied by the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Nana Shettima, and wives of state governors, promptly endorsed the action of the governor and encouraged Helen to be courageous and go on to outperform the mother in promoting the ideals and dreams of the late mother.
Gov Eno said he was not going to remarry anytime soon, joking that he could not afford a bride price.
The appointment of the daughter Ag First Lady will most probably elicit criticisms for several reasons. The First Lady office itself is controversial, having been criticised several times over, as unknown to any law in the country.
That Helen Enọ Obareki is married to someone outside Akwa Ibom State would be seen by some as serving the purpose of non-Akwa Ibomites, and, therefore, objectionable.
In addition, that office is for wives of sitting governors, not their daughters, and so, appointing her daughter might be viewed as illegal and self serving by some people.
Again, being an Acting appointment might imply the governor’s daughter is on probation, but for long remains to be seen.
That Enọ has made this appointment, coupled with the fact that he says he is not going to remarry anytime soon, may put paid to the rumours on the streets of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, that he is married to more than one wife.
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