Umo Eno clarifies his ‘Happy Hour’ comment, denies claims of N18bn budget for celebrations, and says the phrase was misinterpreted
Umo Eno Happy Hour remark has been clarified by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, who insists the phrase was misunderstood and never implied government-funded drinking sprees for civil servants.
Also read: Akwa Ibom Empowerment Fund: Governor Eno disburses N250 million to Ikot Abasi constituency
Speaking on Arise Television on Friday, Governor Eno addressed renewed controversy over his campaign-time comment, which some critics claim led to an alleged ₦18 billion budget line item for celebrations — a claim he flatly dismissed.
“I think it was taken completely out of context,” Eno said. “Happy hour is, I believe, that if you work hard, you must find time occasionally to relax… It wasn’t really meant to be time to go get drunk.”
The governor described happy hour as a personal philosophy about work-life balance, using his own routine as an example.
“Like today, I’ve been working since Sunday back-to-back till Friday. And I said today, I just want to relax… That, for me, is my happy hour. Just time to refresh, to relax,” he explained.
Umo Eno Happy Hour drew national attention during the 2023 elections after the then-candidate made an offhand remark suggesting civil servants would enjoy a designated time to unwind — a comment that has since been turned into political fodder online.
When asked directly about claims that his administration had budgeted ₦18 billion for happy hour, Eno laughed it off:
“What kind of happy hour is that? I don’t know. I don’t have such subhead in my budget.”
He added that celebrations aren’t inherently linked to alcohol, stating,
“You have happy hour in church. You have happy hour everywhere. Every time you have an achievement and you celebrate, that’s happy hour.”
Despite the controversy, the governor embraced his label as the “happy governor.”
“I am happy. And we all seem to be a happy state. We are happy people,” he said, with a smile.
Also read: Akwa Ibom Empowerment Fund: Governor Eno disburses N250 million to Ikot Abasi constituency
With this clarification, Eno hopes to put an end to what he describes as misrepresentation of a comment that was intended to encourage balance and celebration, not frivolity.
