Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD while delivering lecture as a guest speaker at the MTU graduation ceremony…recently.
By Anietie Akpan
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD has declared that he hawked soft drinks on the streets of Lagos to augment family income, charging the young ones on the need for hard work and humility.
He advocated that young people should dream big, engage in meaningful ventures, exhibit passion, and hardwork to witness God’s upliftment to unimaginable attainments.
Governor Eno who said this recently while delivering the Convocation Lecture at the 7th Convocation of the Mountain Top University (MTU), Abeokuta, shocked the guests and congregation of graduands and students when he recounted the story of his humble beginning.
Sharing his story as a son to a police officer who died in the line of duty, he recalled his days at Victory High School, Ikeja, in the early 1980s, when he had “to help his mother augment the family’s income by hawking soft drinks on the streets of Lagos even as a Senior Prefect of the school”.
He said that foundation was the beginning of his entrepreneurial spirit, which later saw him run one of the largest hospitality conglomerates in his home state and “we did so by providing world-class service with honesty, integrity, and faith in the products and services we rendered”.
This feat, he said, was made possible by his “implicit faith in the Invisible Hands of God to bring destiny helpers who would propel me to the heights God had destined for me.”
Maintaining that the road to success is not an all rosy one, the Governor said, “you will achieve success only if you are upright in your dealings and guided by ethics and morality”, and with faith in God.
“Whenever I remember my small beginnings and how God stepped in to arrange my path and the people who led me to the point He had destined for me, I am in awe of His mercies and grace.
“God can and will do the same for you, but you must learn to start something, grow something, dream of something, and put in the hard work.”
Pastor Eno said despite his present roles as a minister of the Gospel, an entrepreneur, and a politician, he has not forgotten the grounding he received from his parents, the humility he wears like a badge of honour, and a deep sense of compassion for the poor and the downtrodden.
He says that contemporary society, reshaped by advancement in technology, breach of known boundaries, among other changes, demand a creative mindset that dare to challenge existing long held norms.
Governor Eno commended the Chancellor who is also the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Professor Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, and the entire management team for their efforts in, “raising a generation of morally upright, intellectually sound, and visionary nation-builders.”
Deriving his central idea from motivational author Simon Sinek’s “dream big, start small, and most of all, start”, he averred that in starting small to grow big, one must be of impeccable character, shaped by a deep sense of morality, transparency, honesty, and humility, “and above all, dare to be different in your approach and execution.”
A cross section of graduands at the ceremony.
Pastor Eno, who centered his lecture on the theme, “Dream Big, Start Small, Grow Fast”, used his journey as a pastor, entrepreneur, and transformational governor to charged the 2025 graduands of the University on providing selfless service centred on Christian virtues and values to excel.
“Let me state here that we are living in a world shaped by new realities, a world where known boundaries have been breached and expanded by advancements in technology, where values once considered sacrosanct are no longer the defining ethos, and where groupthink is rapidly dissolving and being replaced by the need to do something daring, something different, and something that challenges long-held norms.
“The majority of the graduands here belong to the now-famous Generation X. Quite a number of people in this generation believe in the concept of immediate gratification and, to some extent, an entitlement mentality.
“They want to achieve success without putting in the corresponding hard work, and most times, they crash and burn.”
On the issue of welfare, the governor said, “today, our administration has built over 335 compassionate homes, fully furnished with solar power and borehole facilities, and donated them to widows and the most needy among us.
“Every month, we give ₦50,000 to 600 elders drawn from all 368 wards of our state on a rotational basis.
“We have provided free food vouchers to the most vulnerable”, he said, while going on to list several other welfare programmes he has put forward for his people.
On his part, the Chancellor and General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Professor Daniel Kolawole Olukoya lauded the guest lecturer, Governor Eno, for inspiring the graduands.
“Today, we specially honour and thank our Convocation Lecturer, His Excellency, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, for accepting to be part of this historic celebration.
“Your presence dignifies this occasion; your words inspire this generation; and your example reminds us that leadership can be both competent and values driven.
“We appreciate your heart for people, your passion for development, and your willingness to invest time in the future of Nigerian youth.
“Your Excellency, we pray that the Almighty God will strengthen you, grant you wisdom beyond your years, give you peace in governance, and establish your work in Akwa Ibom State for enduring progress in Jesus’ name”, Prof Olukoya declared.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Elijah Adebowale Ayolabi, appreciated the Akwa Ibom State Governor, for honouring the occasion and for delivering a stimulating and inspiring lecture titled “Dream Big, Start Small, and God Will Lift You to the Highest Point Possible.”
The Mountain Top University graduated 282 undergraduate with 42 first class honours, 64 Postgraduate Diploma / Masters and 9 doctoral graduates in the 2025 convocation.
