By RismadarVoice Reporter
December 6, 2025
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has been nominated for the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS).
He is expected to receive the Distinguished Award for Excellence in Sustainable Development and Community Empowerment on December 7, 2025, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The nomination, conveyed in an official letter signed by M.S. Danjuma, FCNA, Permanent Secretary (GSO), on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, places Governor Eno among a select group of public officials to be honoured at a ceremony to be presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
But beyond the celebration, this nomination raises deeper questions that go beyond trophies and red carpets.
In under two years, Governor Eno has become one of Nigeria’s most decorated sitting governors.
Awards from the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Leadership Newspaper, Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Security Watch Africa, NISMA, and even continental recognitions from London-based African Business Leadership Awards have created a strong national profile for his leadership.
Supporters see this as external validation of the ARISE Agenda pointing to visible projects in rural roads, agriculture support, security interventions, water schemes, and public service reforms.
Yet, critics argue that awards, no matter how prestigious, must not replace hard data.
As Governor Eno prepares for another national stage, a sharper public debate is emerging:
•Are national awards becoming a measure of performance, or merely a performance of success?
•How much of rural Akwa Ibom truly feels the impact of these growing accolades?
•Are development indicators, poverty reduction, youth employment, access to healthcare improving at the same pace as the ceremony count?
These are not anti-government questions. They are governance questions.
Governor Eno’s nomination undoubtedly places Akwa Ibom in the national spotlight.
To many citizens, it is a source of pride. To others, it is a reminder that visibility must be matched with verifiable impact.
The real test of this award may not be the applause in Abuja, but the answer to a simple question back home:
As the December ceremony approaches, the award has already achieved something significant, it has sparked a national conversation that may matter more than the plaque itself.
In democracy, honors inspire.
But evidence sustains them.
