Amid growing hunger and starvation amongst the Akwa Ibom population fueled by the ongoing economic reforms by the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government, the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has underscored the need for a strategic action plan to complement the federal government‘s palliative regime.
According to him, such complementary measures by the states would go a long way towards mitigating the harsh impacts of fuel subsidy removal on the people.
Towards this end, Governor Eno, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state chapter of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), with a view to devising ways of massively producing the essential commodity in order to contain the prevailing hunger and starvation occasioned by the food insecurity in the state.
Led by the RIFAN president, Prof Etim Ituen, the governor, who played host to the leadership of the association during a courtesy call on him at Government House, Uyo, the state capital, explained that the MoU became necessary in order to create more production stimulus in the agricultural sector for all – round food availability and affordability.
He, therefore, urged the association to go into large scale cultivation of rice to checkmate capital flight, assuring that government will off-take the product for distribution as palliatives to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.“
