Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno has laid the foundation for the construction of ultramodern GIFA House as a mark of honour to his late wife, Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Eno.
The GIFA House foundation laying ceremony which formed the climax of the first anniversary celebration of Golden Initiative for All (GIFA), a pet project of the Governor’s wife, took place at Ewet Housing Estate—the proposed site for the construction of GIFA secretariat.
Speaking earlier at the first anniversary celebration of GIFA held at Ibom Hall, Uyo, Governor Eno paid glowing tribute to his late wife for her selfless love and motherly care to all especially women and the less privileged in the society which he said prompted her to establish the Golden Initiative for All.
He noted that the event also created an opportunity to honor her memory and celebrate the first posthumous birthday of the late First Lady, whose 57th birthday marked the birth of Golden Initiative for All.
Pastor Umo Eno reminisced with nostalgia how his late wife played the role of mother hen by always caring and sacrificing for others even at her own expense.
The governor promised to continue in honouring his wife by sustaining her values and championing the course of women, the less privileged and the elderly with programmes such as ARISE Elderly Care Initiative, ARISE Compassionate Homes, and interventions in maternal care and gender-based violence.
Governor also used the occasion to commend his daughter Lady Helen Eno Obareki, for keeping the vision and aspirations of late Pastor Patience Eno alive by bringing succour to women and the less privileged through GIFA in the last one year.
According to him, “Let me congratulate my dear daughter, the Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Noble Lady Helen Obareki, for stepping up and taking charge of this great initiative. As you have so eloquently reeled out the achievements recorded in the last one year, it is evident that you have ticked the boxes in all the thematic areas, and the impact has been deeply felt. Noble Lady, you have done well, and your mother and indeed all of us here are proud of you.”
Presenting her address, the Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Lady Helen Eno Obareki, he Chairman of GIFA’s Board of Trustees and Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Mrs. Helen Eno Obareki, thanked his father, Governor Eno for his support and serving as a pillar of GIFA in her special intervention programmes for women, children, elderly and other vulnerable groups in the society.
Lady Obareki highlighted some of the life touching programmes of GIFA in the last one year to include: provision of school supplies for over 15,000 pupils, free healthcare for women in rural communities, and the economic empowerment of over 5,000 women.
She promised to build on the legacies of her late mother by continuously improving the lives of vulnerable individuals and families, supporting multiple-birth children, engaging zero earners with skills, and empowering more women through the Eka Iberedem Hub.
“In retrospect, GIFA has recorded significant strides in just one year. One of our many projects is in Mbiabong Ikot Udo, a rural community in Ini Local Government Area, where we built and handed over a cassava and oil processing factory to a middle-aged father of six, Mr. Benjamin Asuquo Umoren. Months later, we identified a cluster of women who patronize the mill, as well as women from other senatorial districts involved in palm oil production and related businesses. They have since been connected to the Eka Iberedem Hub—a full-cycle programme that helps women identify their productive skills and market them.
“Going forward, GIFA aims to make the global development framework, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more meaningful to the most vulnerable families in our state. It is on this note that I seek your partnership and support to help us achieve our targets.”
In his goodwill message, the Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government, Prince Enobong Uwah described Late Patience Eno as a true mother who has shown him real love at various occasions.
“Our mother was a real mother, a true mother. I have benefited from her love. A lot of times she called me behind the scene and showed me real love. I want to assure everyone that GIFA has come to stay. It will continue to be here even when our tenure has expired. We are going to be here with GIFA all the way,” Prince Enobong Uwah said.
Earlier in her keynote address, The United Nations Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mrs. Beatrice Eyong, lauded Mrs. Helen Obareki for upholding her mother’s vision and noted that thematic focus areas of GIFA align with the UN Women’s mission to mitigate gender-based discrimination and create more opportunities for women.
Mrs Nyong stressed that just like a bird cannot never fly with one wing, the society cannot thrive without women. She promised that women will continue to be at the centre of struggles in United Nations.
