Kehinde Fajobi
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has refuted claims that his daughter, Mrs. Helen Obareki, has been appointed as the First Lady of the state following the passing of his wife, Mrs. Patience Umo Eno, on September 26, 2024.
During a condolence visit from the Wife of the President, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, Governor Eno explained that his daughter, who served as her late mother’s Special Assistant, would coordinate the Office of the First Lady. He emphasized that this decision was a natural step and not a political move.
“First Ladies are not appointed,” Eno said. “Our daughter, Mrs. Helen Obareki, will coordinate the Office of the First Lady. She had been with her mother from the beginning, and you heard the First Lady of the Nation, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, say ‘The mother introduced her to me’. So appointing her as the coordinator is not an appointment of a First Lady. You don’t appoint a First Lady.”
He explained that this arrangement would help bring healing to the family and ensure the continuation of his late wife’s projects, such as the “Golden Initiative For All” (GIFA), which focuses on supporting women, the elderly, and the vulnerable.
“All I pray for is support and wisdom for her to be able to ensure that none of those programmes will die and that she will bring more insight and innovation to the office,” Eno said.
He stressed the importance of appointing someone close to the family to maintain the legacy: “There must be a coordinator, and it must be someone that I see daily, someone that can walk into my room and brief me, not a distant person.”
Governor Eno also expressed his gratitude to Mrs. Tinubu for her acknowledgment of Obareki’s role and for the timely visit by her and other women leaders.
He added, “This decision is to bring healing to the family and allow the office to keep running. That’s one of the ways I will be comforted.”