By Anietie Usen
The atmosphere was festive. Thousands of colourfully dressed guests, Sunday, May 11, 2025, who arrived Lagos the previous day from various parts of Nigeria, descended on the little known Maboju Assembly of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, in the suburb of Ikeja, Lagos.
The festive mood soon gave way to a sombre and spiritual tenor as top leaders of the church in Nigeria arrived to set the tone for the thanksgiving service in the very church where the Pastor Umo Eno, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, grew up as a child and later began his spiritual journey in life.
The Church auditorium was jam packed to overflow. The spiritual homecoming of Governor Eno to his childhood church was not only nostalgic for him, but somewhat bore the marks of a holy pilgrimage. Many curious guests also wanted to step their feet on the very grounds where a 43-year old prophecy that Boy Umo Eno would become a Governor had come to pass.
Soon, the man of the moment that everybody had been waiting for arrived with a blare of siren and a blaze of glory. This church, sited in a hitherto squalid suburb of Lagos, had practically rolled out the red carpet for their iconic member whose fame had literally spread abroad.
It was the first time in 30 years that Umo Eno stepped onto the grounds of this church. Today he must step on a red carpet, the church leaders determined. And he did as the crowd of children and youths outside roared in jubilation at the sight of the scion of the Maboju Assembly.
For Umo Eno himself, it was a moment that evoked a feeling of nostalgia, reminding him of his childhood years in the days of yore. He confessed that a wave of emotions swept over his heart and his eyes welled up with tears of joy, as he set his eyes on his childhood neighbourhood and friends, many of whom were still members of the church.
Inside the church, the Governor, the cynosure of all eyes, stood tall, resplendent in his navy blue silk suit, a white shirt and a red tie, swaying and soaking in the pulsating worship session typical of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, the first pentecostal church in the country. He was surrounded not just by his nuclear family but by the crême de la crême of Nigerian politics and business. They joined him to sing and swing and danced to the beats of gospel songs of praise and worship of the Almighty God. It was uplifting and inspiring.
“To You o, be all the glory, To You, To You, To You, To You, be all the honour, adoration for ever more”, the church sang and danced in unison, their shout of joy echoing across the neighbourhood. To make it more joyous, another popular Nigerian gospel hit by Tim Godfrey, made more popular by Travis Green, the American gospel music superstar, was quickly injected into the praise celebrations:
“He’s done so much for me,
I can not tell it all
Narakele Mo
If I Had ten thousand tongues
It won’t still be enough
Narakele Mo…
But it was the Ibibio gospel song which has become an anthem of sort in many churches that stole the show. “Nkebo ndibo bõ Itoro, bõ ekõm…” meaning, “I came to say to God, receive my praises, receive thanksgiving…because You have done very well for me”. All the songs this morning appear to be carefully chosen to tie into the theme of thanksgiving and each song struck a chord and resonated not just with the governor but the entire congregation who had various causes to thank God for themselves, Governor Eno and the church itself.
This hitherto small church in the fringes of Lagos that most Lagosians have never even heard of, now has the reputation of the Biblical Bethlehem Ephrathah, the birthplace of both King David and King Jesus. Though little among other assemblies of Apostolic Church, Maboju Assembly is acclaimed as the birthplace of a series of prophecies about the emergence of Umo Eno as a Governor.
Said Andy Akpan, a long standing elder of the church dating back to the 1980s: “The prophecy about Pastor Umo Eno (becoming the Governor) was not a one-off message. It came in sequence at different times from different channels, during several prayer meetings and devotional services, up to the mid-1990s when he relocated from Lagos to Eket in Akwa Ibom” to start his own business.
From a consensus of testimonies by key leaders of the church including
Pastors J. E. Okon, S. E. Ekpenyong, Emmanuel Iso, Emmanuel Udia, Samuel Joshua, as well as Deconesses Ayara, Udia and Grace Sunday, the main prophecy that Eno would become a Governor happened in 1980, in a Monday prayer meeting by two church groups known as NKA UFAK UKPONG and NKA ATA.
Umo Eno himself and his mother were founding members of these prayer groups, while he was also one of the 44 pioneer members of the Maboju Assembly who have now variously climbed the spiritual ladder to become apostles and pastors. In this same assembly, Eno was a choir boy and the church interpreter (“because of his fluency in Yoruba language”) . He was so good at the job of interpreting, he was drafted to interpret at the highest level of the church in Nigeria for Pastor E. E. Okon, the first indigenous National President of the church.
In this same church, Governor Eno was a member of the evangelical team, chairman of the building committee, initiatiator and chairman of the welfare committee, set up to cater for needy members and support bachelors who were willing to marry.
Said Paul Bassey, Nigeria’s ace sport journalist and now Commissioner of Sports in Akwa Ibom State, who took over the leadership of the Church Welfare Committee from Umo Eno: “I was an eyewitness of all the good deeds of Umo Eno in this church, in terms of hard work and commitment to the service of God and people, in terms of his integrity and accountability and in term of his leadership qualities and managerial skills. They were all on display here in this church before he transferred them to his private business and now to Akwa Ibom government and people”.
Elder Andy Akpan told a story of constant promotion in the church for the young Umo Eno. “Because of his exceptional commitment to God’s work in the church, he was ordained a deacon as a bachelor in 1985, against the traditional doctrine of the church”.
And wait a minute for this! Governor Eno was also among the prophets, Elder Akpan, disclosed to all those who attended the thanksgivings service yesterday, May 11, 2025. “Pastor Umo Eno is also a very powerful prophetic channel God used to deliver practical evidential messages”, he said.
In its welcome address read by Pastor Dr. Solomon Nkopeti, the Maboju District Superintendent, the Church described Governor Eno as an “amiable and indefatigable servant of the Most High God”. It was an accurate portrait of the man which resonated with Akwa Ibom government officials who are now eyewitnesses, not only of the Governor’s amiable disposition but his indefatigability in serving the State. This man is a tireless worker and working with him, to say the least, is breathtaking.
Nkopeti said the result of Eno’s godly governance confirms the Biblical position that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. “We have watched with keen interest, pride and joy… the paradigm shift in governance that prioritises inclusion, accountability… investing in people, in rural communities and laying a solid foundation of enduring peace and stability in Akwa Ibom State … Your Excellency, you have shown that governance can be a Ministry and leadership, a calling from God”, Nkopeti said in a way that attracted a prolonged applause from the congregation.
In this congregation were ministers, past and present, national and State lawmakers, past and present, top court judges in the land, captains and chieftains of industry, diplomats, and leading traditional rulers, most of them from Akwa Ibom State.
But it was the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, who made Akwa Ibom people more proud of their Governor. Represented by the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, SSG, Barrister Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, the Lagos State Governor said the celebrated high performance of Governor Eno stems from the fact that he is a true son of Lagos. “The spiritual foundations of your youth was laid in Lagos. Lagos has played a significant role in shaping who you are and in many ways you have also help in shaping Lagos. Your Excellency, you are a real Omo Eko”, Sanwo-Olu said to the applause of the congregation.
The Lagos Governor heaped praises on Governor Eno as an excellent Governor. “Even as you lead Akwa Ibom with such excellence, Lagos still claims you as our own and we are proud that through your guidance, Akwa Ibom State has experienced such incredible transformation”.
Sanwo-Olu also praised the Maboju branch of The Apostolic Church for “raising a son who has become a shining light of hope and service for Nigeria” adding that “the values the church has instilled in Governor Eno shine through in his integrity, in his service to humanity and in his humility”.
It was the subject of humility that Pastor Dr. Senior Gabriel Okpako Uyeh, The Apostolic Church National Vice Chairman dealt with in his brief sermon titled “Greatness In Humility”. Using David and Jacob as examples, hevsaid that all types of godly greatness comes from humility. He concluded by commending Governor Eno for his trademark humility and simplicity. And he had a prophecy for Governor Eno. “You will be greater and greater, in Jesus Name”.
What was left to crown the day was to hear from the horse’s mouth, in this case Governor Eno. He mounted the pulpit dancing with his children and extended family in tow. He grabbed the microphone, smiled and greeted the congregation with the now familiar salutation, made popular by Pastor EA Adeboye of the RCCG : “Let somebody shout Hallelujah”. In The Apostolic Church Nigeria, the “jah” in the “hallelujah” is usually “chaah”. So the church responded with a deafening “Halleluchaah”.
The Governor mixed his testimony with a songs and then a Yoruba proverb. Interpreted in English, the proverb according to him, simply said that: “When a child forgets the blessings of yesterday, he will foreclose and forfeit the blessings of tomorrow”. It was his way of justifying his spiritual homecoming to the Maboju Assembly. “This is where it all began”, he said.
He traced the genesis of his parents’ membership of the Apostolic Church, Maboju Assembly, to his illness. As a boy, he fell sick and his repeated treatment in the hospital was to no avail. “My mother specifically brought me here to this church, I think in 1975, or there about. I was just about 11 years old. I was sick, very sick, and we were members of another church….
“My parents tried the hospitals, but it didn’t work out. So someone that we lived together with in the police barracks not far from here invited my Mom to bring me to a church revival meeting. You know, mothers will always look for ways to help their children. That’s how my mother attended that revival with me, and truly, by the grace of God, I got my healing in that revival. And so my Mom started coming here, and my dad joined us later because he didn’t want the family to attend different churches. That’s how we became members of this church”.
Without a doubt, Governor Eno is a product of a praying mother, a praying church and prophecies. As a little boy, he always tagged along with his mother to prayer meetings and church programmes. One day, his mother called him, talked to him about Jesus and led him to Christ. He was only nine years old. But it wasn’t always easy initially for him to believe or accept some of the prophecies said about him in the church.
He recalled one prayer meeting he attended with his mother in the same Maboju Assembly. “One of those days, we went to the prayer band. I was struggling through life. I had lost my father, had married early at 22, had two children and had about six siblings to cater for, with a small salary of a secondary school leaver. And I went to this prayer band, and we were praying. And one little girl, I don’t even know where she is now. I wish I could meet her again. She prophesied and said, Umo Bassey, for your labour of love, for everything you are doing, I will return you back to your homeland, and you’ll be a Governor of my people”.
The Governor said he was quite upset about that prophecy. He walked out of the prayer meeting and went home straight to wait for his mother. “It was in 1980…Daddy, I’m sure you remember” he said, turning to Pastor Nkopeti, now the Maboju Area Superintendent. “I got up. I told my mother I want to go and ease myself. I left the Bible, I left the song book, I left everything, and went back to my house”.
When the prayer band meeting was over, his mother returned home to query him. “Mbakara (pet name that means white man), what happened? You went to ease yourself and never returned. I said, Mma please, I don’t want those prophecy people to play games with me again…See where we are living. See the burden I’m carrying. Six brothers in school, two children and somebody is prophesying that I will be governor. Why doesn’t God take me out of this wahala first? I’m not coming back to that prayer band again. My mother looked at me and said, ‘Mbakara, every vision is for an appointed time”.
It was the appointed time that thousands last Sunday flogged into the Maboju Assembly to celebrate that prophecy. It was at God’s appointed time, that God touched the heart of former Governor Udom Emmanuel to endorse Umo Eno, against all odds, to be his successor. Didn’t the Bible say that God makes all things beautiful in His time?
Said the Governor: “And so, having been in office for two years as governor, the Lord laid it strongly in my heart to return to Bethel like Jacob, to renew the covenant on this altar…I don’t know what lies before me, but I have return like Jacob, to say to God, this is where I first met you. This is where you sent me out. I’m returning here to Bethel, to ask for your guidance, to ask for your leadership and to renew my covenant with God”.
According to the Governor, the Bible says that after Jacob had returned to Bethel, God blessed him there. “ For me, I don’t know where the future leads me. I don’t know where I’ll be. But I know one thing, that Jesus who sees my tomorrow is alive. I don’t know the storms that I’m going to fly into, but I know that Jesus is in the cockpit… And so I’ve come here today to thank God… and say that the rest of the journey is in His hands”.
Touched by the testimonies of the Governor and his “Thanks and Giving”, all the pastors in the church led by Pastor Uyeh, the National Vice president of the Church, stepped out to surround and pray intensely for Governor Eno, as he laid down flat on the altar. But the rest of the church members broke into more songs and dancing, anxious for the pastors to set the Governor free to hug them to anyhow as they used to in the past.
Some of them broke out of their dancing lines and groups that Apostolic Church is known for to hug the Governor forcefully, a situation that security details of the Governor frowned at from the looks on their faces. But it didn’t stop more ordinary church members from finding their ways to touch the Governor and embraced what one of them called the evidence of God’s power and faithfulness in our Church.
“Don’t disturb me. Don’t disturb me. He is our own not your own. He belongs to us here”, the voice of an old woman rang out from the crowd as the Governor beckoned on his security guards to allow the woman to hug him.
Said Adeolu Adegbaso, a community leader from Maboju community who knew Boy Eno many years ago in the community and came to the Church just to set his eyes on him: “Without a doubt, this man is an example of somebody that God has helped…We remember him very well in this neighbourhood. He is an inspiration, an encouragement and a lesson even to us in this community, that it pays to serve God and be good to people”.
*Usen writes from Uyo
