Gov Eno’s Compassionate Intervention Reaches 25 L0GA

… As Abak Residents Receive 7,000 Bags Of Rice
By Abasi-Akan Ebong
ABAK
The atmosphere in Abak Local Government Area was filled with excitement on Monday as hundreds of residents gathered to benefit from the Akwa Ibom State government’s ongoing ARISE Free Food Distribution Programme, with 7,000 bags of food items allocated to vulnerable households in the area.
The intervention, spearheaded by the administration of Governor Umo Eno, marked the programme’s 25th local government area, underscoring the government’s continued drive to extend its humanitarian support to vulnerable residents across the state.
The exercise, which is part of the fourth phase of the state-wide intervention, is being implemented through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs as part of efforts to cushion the economic challenges faced by vulnerable households.
Representing Governor Eno at the distribution exercise, the commissioner for humanitarian affairs, Princess Emem Ibanga, commended the people and leadership of Abak for their continued support, peaceful disposition and cooperation with the state government.
Ibanga noted that the return of the programme to Abak was evidence that the administration’s humanitarian interventions were not limited to select communities, but were designed to reach residents across the state.
“Last year, we were here and this year we have come again to distribute the fourth phase. Abak is not left out, Abak is carried along in everything we do,” she said.
The commissioner also emphasised the importance of ensuring that the distribution process remained orderly, transparent and focused on the people for whom the intervention was intended.
She explained that beneficiaries were selected through the state’s social register, stressing that the process was not politically motivated.
According to her, the social register, developed with the support of the World Bank, provides a framework for identifying vulnerable households across the state.
Ibanga said enumerators were deployed to various communities to identify residents who met the criteria for the intervention while beneficiaries were subsequently issued vouchers to facilitate proper identification and verification at the distribution centres.
She urged stakeholders and community leaders to cooperate with officials to ensure that the food items reached the designated beneficiaries.
The commissioner further appealed to residents who were not captured in the current phase not to lose hope, assuring them that subsequent phases would provide opportunities for other vulnerable households to benefit.
The chairman of Abak Local Government Area, Mrs Ime Effiong Charles, expressed appreciation to Governor Eno for what she described as his “sincere love” and commitment to the people of Abak.
According to her, the food distribution programme was only one of several interventions through which the state government had demonstrated its concern for the welfare and development of the people.
She listed road construction, schools, hospitals, compassionate homes and other interventions among the projects and programmes that had benefitted residents of the area.
Describing the allocation of 7,000 bags of food items to Abak as another significant gesture, Charles said the intervention would provide relief to many vulnerable households.
She also pledged the continued support of Abak Local Government for Governor Eno’s administration and declared the area’s backing for his second-term ambition.
“Nothing can stop us from supporting the governor in his second term ambition. He has 100 per cent support from Abak,” she declared.
Mr Nsikak Akpan expressed gratitude to Governor Eno for remembering vulnerable persons, particularly persons living with disabilities and other disadvantaged members of the society.
Akpan appealed to the state government to sustain and expand the programme, describing the food items as a timely intervention for households struggling with the rising cost of living.
The distribution exercise also attracted key stakeholders from the local government, who were on ground to monitor the process and ensure its smooth implementation.
Among those present were the vice chairman of Abak Local Government Area,  Mfon Udoudom; council secretary, Gift Umo;  Xavier Timothy; Dr Ekemini Umoh; and immediate past chairman,  Ekerette Inyang, among others.
With Abak becoming the 25th local government area to benefit from the fourth phase of the ARISE Free Food Distribution Programme, the exercise further reinforced the state government’s message that vulnerable residents across Akwa Ibom remain at the centre of its humanitarian agenda.