Too many politicians’ visits without appointments distracting, says Nigerian Gov

*As Umo Eno pleads for understanding at Govt House prayer gathering

By KEMI KASUMU

A recently inaugurated Governor of Nigeria’s South South geo-political, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, says too many visits without appointments to him by politicians in the state can be distracting.

Eno, a banker turned successful entrepreneur, was inaugurated on May 29, 2023 as the fifth elected governor of Akwa Ibom after emerging winner from the March 18 governorship election.

The former Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Land was earlier described in a media report as not known to be deeply involved in the state’s politics.

The governor said in a video clip posted on his verified fmFacebook social platform that, “I will not go to anybody’s office without an appointment.”

He said, “I find it amusing that people would just leave their home and just show up, and they will call you that they have not been allowed to pass through the Government House gate.”

Governor Eno made the remarks on Saturday during a monthly prayer meeting at the chapel inside the Government House, Uyo.

The prayer meeting is a Government House tradition inherited by him. It is usually attended by select clerics, government officials, politicians and entrepreneurs in the state.

Governor Eno, who said he was learning to manage the frequent visits to his office, appealed to politicians to give him some space to do the job he was elected to do.

“I will only receive visitors on Thursdays and Fridays. I beg us, between Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I will not receive visitors to allow me time to do the job that you have elected me to do because no one would ask how many visitors I received at the end of four years,” Governor Eno said.

“Allow us to hold the meeting we can hold, treat some files – you know we are almost treating files late, and I have tried to manage it for some time, but people would get angry.

“Some people would say we have just elected you; he is locking us out. Please, that is not the issue; the issue is, let’s try and understand.

“And when you come to see me, please make it brief. We will serve you; we will serve everybody. We are here to serve. But please, part of the service includes bending down, reading, and making sure that we read through the lines; we do the actual work. If you come between Monday and Wednesday, and they don’t let you pass the gate, I beg you to understand.

“Sometimes, when I watch you on the camera, I feel sorry that you are talking with (security) people that are not even answering you. You are shouting at them, ‘He is not the first person in this Government House’. Everything you say at the gate, I hear it in my office,” Eno said.

The audience laughed out loud, apparently on learning that the governor could hear whatever people say at the Government House gate. Mr Eno laughed out, too.

Governor Eno’s delay in making cabinet appointments and other appointments may have contributed to pressure on him, as some politicians who were involved in his election are anxious to push through their political interests via appointments.