Gov. Godswill Akpabio receives goodwill message from Pope Benedict XVI.

Source:The Guardian

MORE felicitation and goodwill messages have continued to trail the 50th birthday of Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, with the latest coming from His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.

In a concise message contained in a Papal scroll sent to the Governor, the Catholic Pontiff cordially imparted “Apostolic blessing to Godswill Akpabio,” invoking abundant divine graces on the governor on the occasion of his 50th birthday.

Meanwhile, Catholic faithful and other Christians have expressed appreciation to the Pope for extending his blessings to the governor, who they believe is deserving of the Papal blessings for his continued support to the Church and deep compassion for humanity.

It would be recalled that a plethora of felicitation messages were sent to the governor on the occasion of his golden jubilee celebration last December. The President, Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, David Mark, in his own message, remarked that “in commemorating the Golden Jubilee of your birthday, you have reached a new milestone. Your accomplishments as governor of Akwa Ibom State since 2007 are admirable, and reinforce the reason for us to celebrate another year in your life.”

On his part, the Deputy Senate President,  Ike Ekweremadu, observed that, “for every people and generation, God raises great men and women to lift the people from despair to hope and from great challenges to the Promised Land,”  and added that “ the life of Governor Akpabio “has indeed been an impactful life, unleashing itself in all positive ways possible and changing the face and fortunes of Akwa Ibom State.”

In the same vein, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, noted that, “as a leader with uncommon insight into his people’s problems, you have been able to demonstrate that with the right will, we can resolve the issues that have conspired to impoverish our people.” “At 50 you have certainly achieved more than most people wish for in a lifetime and left indelible marks in the sands of time,” he added.