The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, has expressed concern over the country’s prevailing socio-economic challenges but urged the poor, hard-hit by hunger, to combine aggressive farming with government palliatives to reduce the problem.
The governor, represented by the commissioner for Science and Digital Economy, Prof. Imoh Moffat, gave the advice at Utu, headquarters of EtimEkpo local government area of the state, during the disbursement of food palliatives including rice, beans and garri, to thousands of vulnerable households spread across the local government’s 11 wards.
“There is no way the government can address the hunger challenge with food palliatives. It’s unrealistic. So, the best way is for everyone to embrace farming,” he stressed.
The governor, therefore, assured of his administration’s commitment to agriculture under the ‘ARISE Agenda’ blueprint, as free agricultural inputs, including fertiliser, improved seedlings and other interventions have been implemented for agricultural acceleration towards a permanent solution to the food crises.
The Executive Chairman of the Bulk Purchase Agency (BPA) and a former state House of Assembly member for Nsit Ubium, Dr Daniel Akpan, said the truckload of different bags of foodstuffs was a deliberate follow-up arrangement of the state government to cushion the harsh living conditions of the people.
He commended the governor for his commitment to the people’s welfare in these trying times, noting that his compassionate disposition was dispassionate and non-political as the beneficiaries were drawn across the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition party lines.
The transition committee chairman of the council, Mr. Ekpok Eshiet, also lauded the interventionist system of the state government in cushioning the effects of the prevailing hardship on the people.
Under his watch in the last ten months as the council helmsman, he said his administration had complimented the state government’s efforts to alleviate the problem of the people in the rural communities by grading roads, building projects and empowerment programmes for the youths, women and older people.
However, the beneficiaries, including Mr Nse Udo, a stroke victim from Ikot Ese village, Nene Effiong, and Ifiok Ekanem, commended the governor for what they described as a “timely response to the yearnings and aspirations of the poor households in Etim Ekpo LGA.”
“I want to sincerely thank the governor for his father’s gesture and for keeping to his promise to always be on the side of the people as promised during his pre-election campaigns,” Nse stated.
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