Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has shared his personal journey of growing up with albinism, recounting the bullying, body shaming, and rejection he faced is because of the condition.
Albinism is said to be a genetic condition that causes a deficit in the body’s biosynthesis of melanin, a pigment that colours the skin, hair and eyes.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, the governor said that despite those challenges, he now stands proudly ‘by God’s grace’, and makes it a duty to honour and recognise anyone living with the condition.
He wrote: ‘Growing up with albinism wasn’t easy; I faced bullying, body shaming, and rejection. But today, by God’s grace, I stand proudly.
‘That’s why whenever I see anyone with this skin condition, I make it a point to honour and recognise them’.
In an accompanying video, Eno was seen presenting gifts to people with albinism while reflecting on past struggles.
The governor noted that during his political journey, critics once attempted to use his albinism as a weakness, and recalled how his wife defended him at the time, calling him her ‘golden boy’.
Eno said, ‘They are golden people and they have a golden governor. When we started this campaign, some people who did not have what to say, they said I did not want an Albino governor. Do you remember? Then my dear wife came up and said to them you may be an Albino but to me you are my golden boy’.
He further explained that people with albinism were often denied opportunities in the past, shunned from public life, and reduced to ridicule and mockery.
However, he now believes that God has changed that narrative, bringing them into positions of visibility and dignity.
‘They will not give us a chance in the past. They will body shame us. They will call us names.
‘They will not let us come to the public. But today God has brought us out. So anywhere I see one of any of them, I must recognise them’.
