Gov. Umo Eno at the ARISE Recreational Park under construction.
By Clement Warrie
Monday, August 25, 2025, after a long, grinding day in the office, the hardworking Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, was seen departing the Hilltop Mansion with his motorcade. At first glance, this orderly procession of polished black SUVs seemed bound for the Victor Attah International Airport for an out-of-town trip. But that wasn’t the case. Along Dominic Utuk’s street, the convoy slowed and branched off into ARISE Recreational Park under construction. It turned out, this was another impromptu site inspection.
To be sure, the governor routinely conducts project site tours, impulsively, and at short notice.
“The governor comes here quite often to appraise the progress of work firsthand” said a site engineer at the ARISE Recreational Park along Dominic Utuk’s street, Uyo. The engineer, clad in heavy boots and a reflective vest said he was used to the governor’s visit. When asked how often he had visited the site, the man beamed and shrugged. “Maybe over 30 times,” he said laughing out loud. Then, his smile faded and his face turned serious. “The man is such a workaholic” he said.
To be frank, the word “Workaholic” barely scratches the surface of Governor Umo Eno’s boundless energy, which often leaves his inner circle both challenged and inspired. They confess that every minute of the workday is accounted for, every hour maximized. And behind his back, they dub him “Superman Governor”
But Governor Umo Eno’s formidable work ethic isn’t a theatric performance to impress anyone. As his inner circle can attest, he operates with a singular focus for tangible outcomes.
And this dedication is validated by the impressive accomplishments his administration has recorded within a two year timeframe. The Governor’s core belief is that progress is impossible in any society without a conscious sacrifice from its leaders. This is where Lee Kuan Yew, the pioneering leader of Singapore, comes to mind.
In 1965, shortly after Singapore, a tiny island city-state, was expelled from Malaysia following irreconcilable political and ideological differences on racial policies and governance, the country’s future looked bleak. With no natural resources, domestic water supply, or infrastructure, Lee Kuan Yew was terrified about what lay ahead. He knew that if he failed, Singapore would fail. Armed with a utopian vision to transform Singapore from a third-world colonial outpost into a first-world global metropolis, he set to work, aggressively.
In the days to come, Lee became an incurable workaholic, working 18hrs a day. He recruited the best and brightest hands, demanded high performance standards and accountability. He would personally inspect public works projects, held countless cabinet meetings into the night, question civil servants on details of policy, and famously waged a national campaign against corruption. He argued fiercely that “tolerance for corruption will sink the state” Needless to say, many heads rolled.
Within a short time, he created immense pressure within his cabinet and insisted the ministers match his energy. The result was a culture of excellence in service delivery that birthed a new Singapore that has continued to thrive and confound.
Governor Umo Eno has no less a vision. His plans too are rooted in his determination to see Akwa Ibom work for all, and to leave it better than he found it. And just as in the Singapore case study, those working with him and have yet to match his passion or imbibe his uncompromising, high-performance approach to service delivery have greatly felt the heat. And in some instances, quite a few have left the kitchen!
Amb. Assam Assam, Director General, DG, of the Governor’s Campaign Council, must know Governor Umo Eno’s philosophy of high-performance very well. In the book, “Umo Eno, And It Came To Pass” the venerated legal mind pulled no punches when he said of Governor Eno. “One notable trait about the Governor is his ability to speak his mind. He has grit and integrity….At every point in time, he lets you know where he stands on issues.”
To avoid ambiguity, many of Governor Umo Eno’s executive decisions, plans and policies are painstakingly weighed and rolled over several times in the mouth like an elder does a kola nut before eating them. He ensures every decision withstands the rigorous crucible of ethics and moral scrutiny, and is in line with the principle of justice and fairness.
For instance, when he sought to empower the grassroots he adopted a transparent, collective process, and arrived at decent decisions in a public towns square. And for crafting his economic blueprint, the ARISE agenda, he convened a national conference of experts, scholars, and industry leaders to deliberate and endorse the plan for implementation. With Umo Eno, not a single policy, or a decision is made lightly.
Commending one of Governor Eno’s leadership initiatives Anietie Usen in his article titled “Governor Umo Eno sets new leadership standard “ published in Thisday, and other online news sources, Usen wrote..,“Perhaps if there is any government structure in the Executive branch of Eno’s Administration more important than the State Executive Council, it must be the monthly State Project Delivery Committee meeting. It is an informal structure, created from out of the blue by Governor Eno himself to suit his hands-on style of leadership”
The monthly Delivery meetings highlight the administration’s commitment to accountability, transparency, precision, and productivity.
Usen often tells me, “I’ve never seen a governor or executive officer with a work ethic like that of Governor Umo Eno. The volume of work he churns out is unparalleled. Having traveled the world and interacted with influential figures, I can confidently say he’s one of a kind.”
As Nigeria’s foremost newspaper ThisDay noted, “Governor Umo Eno is a major surprise and a breath of fresh air in the political landscape of Nigeria. He has brought pragmatic initiative and imaginative leadership style and solution providing mechanisms that has reverberated with successes, solutions and impact in practically every aspect of governance in his state in a very short time.”
This pretty much captures Governor Umo Eno’s high-performance leadership essence and all the big lessons it offers.
Arguably, he’s a revelation and a national treasure. Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima sums him up perfectly, “I speak from the heart. I’m not playing politics. This is a governor in whom the President of this country has a lot of confidence in. This is leadership. This is what it means to govern with vision, with foresight and commitment”.
Warrie writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
