ARISE Care and Share Programme Targets Those Yet to Benefit from Akwa Ibom State Empowerment Schemes
By Charles Akpan
The Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Princess Emem Ibanga, says the ARISE Care and Share Programme is targeted at those yet to benefit from government empowerment schemes.
Princess Ibanga stated this in an interview with the ARISE Policy Thrust Team, who were on a visit to the Ministry.
The programme, ARISE Policy Thrust: The Countdown to 2027, is designed to assess the impact of governance across key sectors of the Akwa Ibom State government.
The comprehensive scorecard series also takes an in-depth look at Governor Umo Bassey Eno’s first term in office, as well as examining sector-by-sector achievements, ministry-by-ministry performance, and agency-by-agency contributions to the development of Akwa Ibom State.
According to Princess Ibanga, the empowerment programmes include housing schemes, MSMEs, skills acquisition, health insurance, food security, taking care of the elderly, equipment support and many others.
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On the food security programme, the Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner said over 650,000 homes have so far benefited from it across the 31 local government areas, while over 12,000 elderly persons have accessed the 50,000 naira one-off monthly stipend.
Beyond that, she said, over 12,000 elderly persons have been enrolled in the state’s Health Insurance Scheme.
“Our successes have been based on reaching out to every Akwa Ibom citizen through programmes targeted at the most vulnerable persons across the 31 local government areas of the state,” Princess Ibanga declared.
Last year, she said, His Excellency had empowered sixty-two persons with 5 million naira, while others received two million, one million and 700,000 naira, respectively. A gesture aimed at empowering the people of Akwa Ibom.
At the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, we believe, just as His Excellency believes, that everyone matters, not minding the age, not minding the gender, and not minding the social class. Everyone who walks in here matters,” she submitted.
Princess Emem Ibanga, who said that all the programmes embarked upon by her Ministry and the State Government were life-touching, however, singled out the ARISE Compassionate Homes Projects as one intervention policy of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, that has recorded the most impact, with 436 vulnerable persons already benefiting from it.
“I can tell you, to the best of our interest and like I like saying, the government of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, you don’t need to know anybody to access empowerment,” she emphasised.
