By Abiola Olawale
Details have begun to emerge about the incidents surrounding the sudden demise of Pastor Mrs Patience Umo Eno, wife of Governor Umo Bassey Eno of Akwa Ibom State.
The media space was taken aback following the disclosure of the passing of Akwa Ibom’s first lady.
The New Diplomat reports that the development was made known in a statement by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Ini Ememobong.
The commissioner revealed that she died the previous day in the presence of her family.
However, reports emerging on Friday revealed that the Akwa Ibom First Lady has been reportedly battling an illness for a while.
According to an insider source, though Patience was sick for a while, she was still strong enough to carry out her normal duties.
The source added that the first lady was managing the undisclosed sickness well until a few days ago when it became serious, and she was immediately rushed to a hospital.
The source said: “She was sick for some months, though she was strong all through the period.”
The New Diplomat reports that the late Patience Umo Eno was affectionately referred to as Eka Iberedem Akwa Ibom, which means “Mother and Strong Pillar of Akwa Ibom.”
She founded the Golden Initiative For All (GIFA), a foundation focused on providing shelter, food, and education to the poor and vulnerable in Akwa Ibom.
Her feeding initiative, which started on a small scale, expanded to feed hundreds of children daily, ensuring no child in her care went to bed hungry.
Patience, during her time, also dedicated herself to the educational advancement of underprivileged children, sponsoring their tuition fees, providing school supplies, and ensuring they had the opportunity to succeed academically.
She initiated several vocational and financial empowerment programmes aimed at helping women in her community gain skills and financial independence.
In addition, the late wife of the governor played an active role in organizing medical outreach programmes, offering free check-ups, vaccinations, and health education to underserved communities, particularly focusing on children and the elderly.
As the wife of Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Bassey Eno, is expected that they lived happily and together they had six children and nine grandchildren, all of whom were involved in her philanthropic activities.
