The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, former Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, current and past senators and other top dignitaries from different parts of the world will be in attendance.
A statement from the family signed by Mr. Ime Etang Umoyo, said the deceased will be interred on May 7th in his Country home at Etebi Idung Assan after a funeral service to be conducted by Methodist Church Nigeria,Etebi circuit, at the Government Primary School, Etebi Idung Assan in Esit Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Paying tributes to Umoyo who is fondly referred to as “Our Cecerio” by many, former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba said, “one striking thing I noticed about him was that he was very passionate about his people. Nigeria will miss him and the real regret is that Nigeria never exploited the fullness of his potential. Etang had great mental resources that Nigeria never put into full use. When he went to the Senate, that was an opportunity to express himself but unfortunately that regime was truncated”.
Ndoma-Egba who served with him as Commissioners said, “he was a very forthright person, very blunt and he did not played politics with people. He was very blunt and you will know were he stood on every situation. He was very empathetic and he laughed with people from the heart and cried with people from the heart. He was a freind you could count on at anytime”.
Another former lawmaker in the House of Representative, Mr Eseme Eyiboh said, ” no man will be able to fill the vacuum he has left behind. What we are all trying to do, those of us who knew him is to make sure that we inculcate into our daily lives those strength of his we are eulogising today.
“It should not end at the eulogies, we should be able to inculcate those strength into our daily activities. We should at no point forget what he stood for and this should be inculcated in our community aspirations. The loss is unmitigated and invaluable”.
On his part, the Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Ekong Sampson stated that “Senator Etang Edet Umoyo lived well at all times. His imprints will continue to loom large as he was an intellectual, a scholar, a community builder and patriot.
“He worked for Nigeria and shared strong views about the Niger Delta question which remains in the front burner of national discuss and it is a reflection of the times that Senator Umoyo devoted a good chunk of his adult life fighting for a better Nigeria particularly, a better Niger Delta and to this extent we in the Niger Delta owe him a duty of recognition, a duty of commitment to service considering what he lived for which was a better life for his people” .
The College of Senators comprising Sen Aloysius Etuk, Sen. Ibok Essien, Sen. Helen Esuene, Sen. Aloysius Etuk and Sen. Anietie Okon paid condolence visit and paid glowing tributes to a man who stood for resource control and issues of Niger Delta.
Similarly the Eket Peoples’ Union (EPU) led by the President General, Dr Samuel Udonsak, in company the Paramount Ruler of Eket, His Majesty, Edidem E. C. D. Abia, among other personalities of Ekid Nation also paid condolence visit to the bereaved family.
Dr Udonsak consoled with the bereaved family and urged them to see the departure of their loved one as the will of God as they presented items like cows, goats, drinks and cash money and other items to assist the family in the burial of their former trustee.
