In what many have described as the icing on the cake of endorsements, the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, in Akwa Ibom State,has declared their support for Pastor Umo Eno,mother-in-law PDP governorship candidate in the State and pledged work with him before, during and after the governorship elections.

Speaking today during Pastor Eno’s consultation visit to the Labour House, the headquarters of NLC in Uyo, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Sunny James said Pastor Eno is “a credible candidate, who belongs to the class of knowledgeable and focused business leaders”, adding that the NLC will support him because he will advance the peace and conducive investment climate that workers need to thrive in the State. The NLC endorsement came on the heels of a gale of endorsement during the week by the Nigerian Medical Association , NMA, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, the p Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, and the All Nigerian Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, ANCOPSS.

Comrade James however presented the governorship candidate with a charter of demands which included the fast-tracking of the Ibom Deep Seaport project, reviving and reactivation of primary healthcare facilities and enhancing workers welfare, among others.

Also speaking, the State Chairman of Trade Union Congress ,TUC, Comrade Dominic Abang said he is confident that Pastor Umo Eno will run an inclusive government that will carry along his political opponents and those that will criticise him.

Addressing the labour leaders, Pastor Eno thanked both the NLC and TUC for their support, adding that he will not fail the organised labour who are “without any doubt a very critical stakeholder in the Akwa Ibom project”. He said his campaign team deemed it necessary to meet, listen to and have a clear understanding of the issues affecting workers in the State, and assured them that his administration will be labour friendly.

A seasoned entrepreneur and the second largest employer in the State,with more than 2000 workers on his payroll, Pastor Eno X-rayed his economic blueprint tagged ARISE Agenda, a five-point cardinal programme, with its 17 focal sectors for the unions, stressing that most of the challenges and demands of NLC in the State would be addressed through the ARISE Agenda. “We have come to interface and network with you as well as for your continuous support so that we can continue in the trajectory of peace, infrastructural and economic development we have enjoyed under Governor Udom Emmanuel… As an entrepreneur who for 25 years has invested steadily in this State more than all other contestants in this election, sustaining a peaceful climate for local and international investors and creating employment opportunities for Akwa Ibom people is very important to me.”

Earlier, the Director-General of Campaigns, Ambassador Assam Assam, SAN, and a former State Chairman of the NLC who is currently the House Leader of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Udo Kierien, had jointly described Pastor Eno as “a man of integrity, capacity and competence”, who will be an asset not just to organised labour but the entire State.