By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo
Akwa Ibom state government said it augumented the N2B Federal Government grant for Palliatives with N5B.
It also said it procured additional 100,000 bags of rice for distribution to the 2,272 gazetted villages; cash transfers to 53,000 workers in the State for three months, levy-free Fridays for transporters and traders for three months.
Governor Umo Eno who made this known in a message to mark his 100 days office in Uyo said, “all these have raised our contributions to the palliatives scheme to over 5 billion Naira.”
Eno also said that to ignite it’s agricultural revolution in line with the ARISE Agenda, the state government has acquired over 50 thousand hectares of land in all the 31 local government areas , to ensure food security and to get the people involved in agro-allied enterprises.
“As a practical demonstration of this resolve, we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the world renowned Songhai Farms to start a model farm in our State, We have already sent hundreds of our people for training so they could form the nucleus of the skilled workers to drive this exercise.
“We have steadily paid gratuities to local government, primary school teachers and state workers. 3 billion Naira has so far been released for this exercise. We have commenced an initial five-month payment of Leave Grants in the Main Service.
“We are constructing model primary schools and primary healthcare facilities across the three senatorial districts and work is ongoing at a fast pace at the location of the first of these model primary schools, the Christ the King School, (CKS) on Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo.” The Governor explained.
Education he said remained free and compulsory at primary and secondary school levels and as part of the palliatives government would support parents with school uniforms, shoes, payment of bursary to students in tertiary instructions after proper verifications while government’s commitment to the payment of WAEC fees remained irrevocable.
“Exactly 100 Days ago, I stood before you to unveil my vision for the continuous growth and development of our people and our dear State through our Governance and Economic Blueprint, the ARISE Agenda.
“I had, in my inaugural address, while thanking you for the massive support you gave me at the polls which resulted in such unassailable margins of victory we got, pledged to concentrate our developmental plans in the rural areas, while still expanding and consolidating our urban renewal and other focal areas.
“Today, my fellow Akwaibomites, 100 Days later, I can say that we have hit the ground running and God has been our an ever-present Guide as we work to translate our vision into practical, measurable and impactful forms.”
He commended the people of the state for the support he has so far received adding that the ARISE Blueprint with five critical focal points of Agricultural Revolution, Rural Development, Infrastructural Maintenance, Security Management and Education Advancement would remain as a guide to his administration.
“As we mark our 100 Days in Office, we are working at a frenetic pace to translate in practical terms some of the key elements of the ARISE Agenda, and we are just starting.
“We have established an Agency with the sole responsibility to drive our rural development, improve the quality of life of our rural dwellers, stimulate economic activities and stem rural-to urban migration, the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
“So far, we have flagged-off critical roads in all the three senatorial districts and the first we had flagged off, a little over two months ago, the internal roads in Urua Akpan Andem, is being commissioned later today, delivered on schedule, by our very own HENSEK Integrated Services.
“We also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the world renowned Songhai Farms to start a model farm in our State, We have already sent hundreds of our people for training so they could form the nucleus of the skilled workers to drive this exercise.” Eno said.
To commomorate the day, the governor later performed the ceremonial flagging off of the distribution of palliative materials to the poorest of the poor in Nsit Ubium Local Council, performed the ground breaking for a housing estate for civil servants in Ibesikpo Asutan Council, commissioned a drainage project, rehabilitated access and internal roads at the Akpanandem market in Uyo.
