By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo
Akwa Ibom government has commenced the distribution of food vouchers to the vulnerable persons across the three senatorial districts of the State.
Chairman of the State Bulk Purchase Agency, Dr Dan Akpan who spoke with newsmen on Monday during the ceremony in Uyo said the distribution which started with Eket senatorial is expected to is go round all the vulnerables persons captured in the social register.
While commending the initiative of the governor for providing free food to the vulnerable persons, Akpan explained that the distribution is done through Personal Assistants (PAs) to the governor in the 368 wards across the state who collect the vouchers for onward redistribution to the vulnerables.
“This event is about the programme initiated by Akwa Ibom State governor, Umo Eno, he came out with an initiative where the poorest of the poor should be given free food and that is the process we are doing today.
“We started a month ago to ensure that we use the social register to map out their names and invite them to come and receive free food through their PAs. In Akwa Ibom we have what we called PAs to the governor in each of the wards and all ward PAs are the ones that are going to handle this vouchers ward by wards
“As a matter of fact, we have what we called vouchers and those vouchers entail giving them garri, rice and also beans and each of the vouchers has a particular amount in it, and each amount can purchase 5kilos of rice,5 kilos of garri and we make sure that all people in the social register have access to these food items.
“The people you are seeing today are the PAs to the governor, they are here to collect their vouchers so that they will take them to their wards and share it to those in the social register.” He explained.
On what punishment would be meted out to those who divert the food items, the chairman said that the system is fool-proof and does not allow for diversion.
“The system is very transparent in the sense that the mini computers that have been given to them has all the names of people in the social register. When they receive these vouchers they take it to their wards, call their names and give it to the beneficiaries and what we are telling them now is that when they give it to a particular beneficiary, they should snap the beneficiary before he or she will take it to a particular vendor that will eventually give them the food items.” Akpan itsaid.
Also speaking, the media Consultant to Governor Umo Eno and former commissioner of Information in the state, Mr Aniekan Umanah, described the programme as a a laudable initiative which is succeeding by the day.
“The governor did announce that he is making this intervention to see how he can support the vulnerable families and households to be able to have what to eat and have enough strength to go back to farm and plant more crops, so it’s a laudable programme and it’s succeeding by the day.” Umanah said.
