Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining a people-centric governance structure devoid of godfatherism.
Governor Eno, who stated this while fielding questions from Government House Correspondents, said every Akwa Ibom citizen has equal access to the Government portal for grants provided by his administration.
The Governor further said that the administration’s empowerment scheme for 2026, with a budget of N31 billion naira, would accommodate more interested persons, including members of support groups and cover different categories of grants, including the farmers’ grant, traders’ grant, SMEs’ grant, and skills acquisition grant.
According to him, the idea is to stimulate the local economy, hence the reason he is putting 1 billion naira in the budget for each Local Government Area in the 2026 Appropriation Bill. The Governor disclosed that when the time comes, the portal will be opened and each Local Government will access the N1 billion naira on an individual basis, stressing that the grants will be given to people based on their Local Governments of origin and not where their businesses are located.
He explained that before the grants are released to the beneficiaries, they have to be enrolled at the Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development Centre, ILEDC, for a refresher course on their chosen area of business, reiterating that government will validate all locations of the businesses before release of funds.
He stressed that Government would not give money to any group leader in order to ensure proper accountability and transparency. He explained that Support Groups are social groups that volunteered to support a candidate whom they believe would provide good services, ensure accountability and transparency. According to the Governor, he was elected to cater for the entire people of Akwa Ibom State, not individual groups, adding that in as much as he truly appreciate the groups for their support, he is committed to serving the generality of Akwa Ibom people.
Government house correspondent Jane Uwa reports that the state leader further stressed that no particular group or groups will have an exclusive right to the programmes, as the programmes are for every Akwa Ibom indigene irrespective of their social status.
