Pastor Umo Eno is the Peoples Democratic Party’s gubernatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom State. He is an accomplished entrepreneur and visionary leader, who at a time the second highest employer of labour in the state after the government. In this interactive session with select journalists, including Olaoluwakitan Babatunde, Eno discusses his life story and vision for the state
We want our people to earn a decent living through the work of their hands which we believe will be ultimately blessed by God. In addition, we will be involved in massive rural development. We intend to invest in primary health care, rural electrification, revamp our schools and ultimately reduce rural-urban drift. We are an agrarian state. We will harness our agriculture potentials for example, the oil palm. We will invest in and explore the agriculture value chain of various crops.
I will round off by saying that I have an economic blueprint encapsulated in what we have called the ARISE Agenda. Which covers agricultural revolution, infrastructural renewal and maintenance, women and youth empowerment, ICT development security management and sound education and healthcare sector management, sports and tourism development, reorganisation and upskilling of the civil service as well as wealth creation.
In the private sector, I began my work career in banking and left paid employment as a Group General Manager to start my own business called Royalty Group, a company that at a time employed over 2500 people and was second highest employer of labour in the state. That is why I say with all sense of modesty that no one in the race has my job creation credentials.
My father will put his radio on to listen to the 4 O’clock news because he will come back home by 3pm and he knew where he left the setting of that radio. So if anyone tampered with it, he usually finds out. He will call me, Umo, who touched the radio? and you dared not lie to him because he knew what had happened. That was the kind of father I had. He paid attention to details. I think some of these characteristics I have imbibed and I will eternally remain grateful to him.
He is still alive; he is one of the greatest men I respect because he gave me encouragement and that was how I found myself working for him as his Commercial Director and I moved on in life. So, the gap in my education are the years spent trying to raise my kids and family. I eventually went to stùdy at University of Uyo after I formed Royalty Group and relocated to Akwa Ibom State.From Bertola, two of us were invited for an interview at Norman Holdings. I was the preferred candidate.