What they won’t tell Sahara Reporters (2)
By Osondu Ahirika
Some have started telling Sahara Reporters about how Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno is utilising the resources of the State.
I enlisted to join the whistle-blowing game and this is the second in my series.
Mine is to tell SR what my friends wouldn’t want them to hear or know.
They wouldn’t tell SR that the sum of 1.1 billion Naira was expended for the payment of wardrobe allowances to 20,345 teachers in public Primary Schools, Technical Colleges, and Secondary Schools of Akwa Ibom State.
They wouldn’t inform SR that Governor Umo Eno appropriated a 1 billion naira bonus for the Akwa Ibom State Civil Servants and that every civil servant, numbering over 52,000 received an additional twenty thousand naira with their salaries to help their purchasing power.
We haven’t told SR that Governor Umo Eno has allocated 2.4 billion Naira for the payment of leave grants to civil servants.
Let us tell SR that N104 million was released for the payment of leave grants to primary teachers as a first tranche.
SR have a right to know that beginning July 2024, Governor Umo Eno approved an upward review of the pensions of retirees who retired before 2003 from the old to the new scale.
Calculated, that upgrade runs into hundreds of millions.
SR has to be informed that the Akwa Ibom State Government approved N2 billion to support Federal Government palliatives sent to the State to cushion the effects of the economic hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.
Let me tell SR that Gov Umo Eno appointed 372 Personal Assistants. One from each political ward of the 31 Local Government Areas.
These Personal Assistants are gainfully employed and coordinate the Administration’s food security programme for poor and vulnerable people.
A record 208,435 households have benefited from the Free Voucher Food programme of the Akwa Ibom State Government and receive staple foods to cushion hunger running into hundreds of millions.
Let SR know that Governor Umo Eno set aside 2 billion for counterpart funding to the Bank of Industry (BOI) to enable our people to borrow at low interest rates.
We must tell SR that another 1.5 billion interest-free loan was allocated to the market women to boost their trade.
Each of the 3 Senatorial Districts Market Women Association got N500 million.
Please tell SR that Governor Umo Eno graciously released a grant of 200 Million interest-free loans to residents in the State including the Arewa, Yoruba, Igbo and Niger Delta Communities.
If an administration should be looked upon as reckless in spending public funds, then it shouldn’t be the Akwa Ibom State Government under Governor Umo Eno.
Still typing ….Part 3.
