Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno has spoken of a childhood marked by loss and hardship, recalling how he hawked soft drinks on the streets of Lagos after the death of his father in order to support his family.
Eno shared the story on Thursday while delivering the convocation lecture at the seventh graduation ceremony of Mountain Top University in Ibafo, Ogun State. His father, a police officer, died in the line of duty, he said, plunging the family into financial difficulty.
“Life became very difficult after my father’s death,” the governor told the audience. “I had to help my mother augment the family’s income by hawking soft drinks on the streets of Lagos, even as a senior prefect of Victory High School.”
He described those early struggles as formative, saying they laid the foundation for the entrepreneurial drive that later saw him build one of the largest hospitality conglomerates in Akwa Ibom before entering public life.
Addressing the graduating students, Eno urged them to dream boldly, embrace creativity and reject what he described as an entitlement mentality and the lure of quick success. He warned that contemporary society, shaped by rapid technological change, demanded innovation and the courage to challenge established norms.
In a statement issued by the Akwa Ibom state government press unit on Friday, the governor said many young people were drawn to immediate gratification without the discipline of hard work. “They want to achieve success without putting in the corresponding effort, and most times, they crash and burn,” he said.
Eno attributed the growth of his business career to a combination of perseverance, ethical conduct and faith, saying he believed in what he called the “invisible hands of God” to bring opportunities and helpers along his path.
“The road to success is not all rosy,” he said. “You will achieve success only if you are upright in your dealings, guided by ethics and morality, and anchored in faith. Whenever I remember my small beginnings and how my path was arranged, I am in awe of God’s mercies and grace.”
Despite his current roles as a pastor, entrepreneur, and politician, Eno said he had not forgotten the values instilled in him by his parents, adding that humility and compassion for the poor remained central to his public life.
The chancellor and general overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, praised the governor for inspiring the graduates, while the university’s vice-chancellor, Elijah Adebowale Ayolabi, described the lecture as both stimulating and timely.
