Mixed reactions have continued to trail the ongoing ARISE free food distribution exercise, facilitated by the Akwa Ibom State Government.
Under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the State Government is currently distributing five kilograms (5kg) of rice, beans and garri to 7,000 beneficiaries per local government area, amounting to 217,000 people across 31 Council Areas.
Although many commend the selection and distribution procedures, others allege favouritism and political party coloration in the process.
The latter group allege that politicians have hijacked the project, questioning the sincerity and policy targets, yet others maintain that since all beneficiaries are citizens of the state, there was no cause for alarm.
Analysts, particularly those from the opposing political direction, believed that since the direct distributors and custodians of the food items are the Governor’s aides at the wards and villages, the selection must be political, at least politically controlled.
However, the distribution and selection process does not generate more concern about the impacts, the value and the sustainable effects of the free food distribution on the cost of living in the state.
Aniekan Umana, Commissioner of Information, has, on different fora, described the exercise as a definition of the Governor’s sensitivity, magnanimity and compassion, particularly for the less privileged at the grassroots.
He agreed, however, that the size is not enough in view of economic reality, but urged beneficiaries to support and appreciate the Governor in his strife to transform all sectors of the State.
On the other hand, Mathew Okono, Social Activist, Public Policy Analyst and National President of OPEN FORUM, a good governance advocacy pressure group, said the programme is a ”scornful disgrace” to the Akwa Ibom State Government.
“It was a very shameful sight. I felt sad when I saw a State Commissioner squatting to present 5kg bags of rice to Akwa Ibom people. It is a massive embarrassment to my State Government. There are better approaches to poverty alleviation. Certainly not this one”, Okono noted.
Speaking in the same vein, Emmanuel Ekpo, a University Don and Public Policy Analyst, said the programme is an ”insult to the sensibility of Akwa Ibom people”.
“If the State Government is serious about touching the lives of people at the grassroots, it should concentrate on boosting the economy by reviving moribund industries across the State. His predecessor laid foundations for 21 industries in Akwa Ibom, but none of them is working now.
“The Government should be investing or working towards job creation to reduce unemployment and poverty, not rice and beans.
“Akwa Ibom is blessed with abundant natural resources. But the challenge is the focus on harnessing, directing and managing these resources and translating them into wealth for all, not for the political class only.
“Take, for instance, a family of five. How long will 5kg of rice, beans and garri take them? The thing is a ceremonial ritual with no sustainable impact. It’s a showcase of cluelessness; it’s a failed socio-economic policy, he exclaimed.
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