Grace Udeme Emmanuel, a 22 year old widow in Akwa Ibom was feeding her four kids with chicken and fish feeds from the poultry farms she worked in Eket local government area of the state.
One day, a daughter of the farm owner Queen Praise Uzoma posted the incident on Instagram which generated sympathy and support from the public including the wife of the governor of Akwa Ibom Mrs Patience Umo Eno who responded by initially giving the young widow N500,000 for her upkeep.
In addition, Akwa Ibom First Lady later provided the widow with a furnished accommodation with kitchen utensils, food stuff for three months with plans to train her on skills and business management as well as enroll her back to school to complete her secondary education.
The pathetic picture painted above is just a tip of the iceberg of sufferings, hunger and pains experienced by many Akwa families before the state governor through A-R-I-S-E Agenda initiative commenced distribution of free food to vulnerable households in the state
Aged ones, Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) Nursing Mothers and other vulnerable persons in the state were the worst hit in the present food crisis.
The situation had degenerated in the state such that market associations became a thorn in the flesh of consumers by hiking up prices of foodstuffs in the state. A cup of garri being the least food for the common man was sold at N250 and a family of 3 children could not afford 4 cups for N1000 in one meal. And even when they could afford, they may not eat satisfactorily and only God knows when the next meal will come.
Akwa Ibom state government made efforts to disband market unions without success. At times government moves to end high prices of foodstuffs resulted in artificial scarcity as the traders hoarded their goods claiming that they were selling at a loss. Life was difficult and unbearable for families in the state.
However, the state governor pastor Umo Eno intervened through establishment of Bulk Purchase Agency where the government stocked food items such as garri, beans and rice for distribution to vulnerable households across 368 wards in 31 local government areas of the state.
The Agency is chaired by Dr Dan Akpan while Mr Unyime Etim served as General Manager respectively. They procured 5000 capacity trucks, redeployed civil servants from different Ministries and recruited other supporting staff for distribution of foodstuffs as palliatives to vulnerable families in the state.
Beneficiaries are issued vouchers specifying the kind of food items to be issued either rice, beans or garri in a 5kg bag across all the local government area headquarters.
The first phase of the programme ended two months ago but the food crisis in the state continues to soar as the vulnerables wallop in hunger, pains and poverty begging in villages while immoral ones pilfer to make ends meet.
Be that as it may, the state governor pastor Umo Eno in his magnanimity ordered for second phase of the food palliative distribution last week amidst excitement and commendations from beneficiaries in Ibesikpo Asutan, Etim Ekpo, Okobo and Nsit Atai local government areas.
Though there is no monetary attachment to the foodstuffs, the measure has ameliorated the suffering of the people in the prevailing hard times now facing the nation.
In Ibesikpo Asutan local government area 5000 vulnerable persons received food items through approved government vouchers earlier issued to beneficiaries.
Flagging off the second phase of the palliative distribution in the state on Monday, the General Manager of the State Bulk Purchase Agency Hon. Uyime Etim explained that the Agency is relying on the world bank endorsed register for the vulnerables to choose beneficiaries.
Etim said the governor’s Personal Assistants in all the wards in the council area were directed to issue food vouchers to only those in the social register.
“What we are doing today is to cushion the effects of the harsh economy on the people, it’s a temporary measure but the governor has encouraged the people to return fully to Agriculture and farming for lasting solution to the challenges of hunger and poverty”.
A former member of the House of Representatives and Media Consultant to the governor Umo Eno, Hon Aniekan Umana said the palliative distribution is timely owing to the prevailing economic situation in the country and commended Umo Eno for his humane disposition towards the needy.
Umana disclosed that the foodstuffs were meant for Akwa ibom people without any political inclination and strictly for those who are truly vulnerable.
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” You can see the excitement in the faces of the people both the aged and the young people. The beauty of the event is that beneficiaries cut across party lines.
“I have seen people from other political inclinations here and we are very meticulous on ensuring that the real beneficiaries only have the foodstuffs.
“The governor is aware that hunger is no respecter of persons or political inclinations thus the welfare of the Akwa ibom people remains topmost in his heart and this event will continue throughout the 31 local government areas of the state until 11th November 2024.
The member representing Ibesikpo Asutan state constituency in the state House of Assembly Hon Ubong Obot and the Transition Committee Chairman of the council Mrs Akon Michael Asuquo expressed deep gratitude to governor Umo Eno for his benevolence to the less privileged persons and his love for Ibesikpo Asutan people.
” The governor has been very helpful, kind and generous to our people and we will gladly vote for him again in the next elections. Ibesikpo Asutan people are indebted to the governor for all the projects he has executed here in just over one year”.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke with Daily Sun said the gesture has rekindled their beliefs that pastor Umo Eno is truly a compassionate father to all and a true man of God.
A 72 year old recipient Mr. Ekemini Udoh said the governor has given him another reason to smile.
” When I go to the market, I return home heartbroken because of the high cost of food items, what I have gotten today will help me a lot”. He said,
Beneficiaries from the foodstuffs largesse in Ibesikpo Asutan, Etim Ekpo, Nsit Atai and Okobo local government areas received the same quantity of 5kg bag of rice , beans and garri without any monetary support to vulnerable households.
Despite the lack of cash support , the Agency insisted that the food distribution was based on a social register compiled in the past .
The chairman explained that the palliative will be sustained adding that it is just an intervention in the present food crisis causing families to stay hungry for days .
” We will sustain this programme to some extent because what the government is doing is an intervention.
” Governor Umo Eno is trying to encourage people to go back to the farm. But before then, the governor has to provide this palliative. There must be planting and harvesting periods.
” We will do it for sometime till the people return to the farm and bring back their harvest to feed their families.
“This is the second phase of this intervention. We will continue until it comes to a time when the governor is satisfied.”
Akpan said the people are very happy because such intervention on hunger is unprecedented in the history of the state adding that it is only Akwa Ibom state governor that made such intervention apart from the federal government.
The chairman of Bulk Purchase Agency while reacting to critics explained that there is no political undertone in the governor’s intervention on hunger in the land.
“This has nothing to do with politics.We are using Social Register in the state to distribute the foodstuffs.
“If your name is not there in the Social Register, you can’t receive the food items.
“In the Social Register, we have PDP, APC , Labour Party and members of other political parties. It has nothing to do with politics. So nobody should say we are playing politics .
” At the venue of the food items distribution, you will even see stakeholders of APC, YPP, NNPP coming to collect foodstuffs vouchers for their vulnerable members. You can’t say there is political interest in the distribution.
Akpan disclosed that those who couldn’t get the food items, will certainly receive it in subsequent distribution and encouraged the people to put their names in the Social Register to qualify for the next turn of palliatives.
He said the Register has already been updated in the last two weeks to cater for those who couldn’t make the list.
On the sustainability of the palliative programme, the Bulk Purchase chairman said it will continue until the people return to farm as alternatives to their survival.
” What governor Umo Eno is doing is to provide relief and prepare tge people for farming and be able to feed their families through their farms”. He said.
