Rita Enemuru, Reporting
IN the aftermath of devastating floods that submerged parts of Akwa Ibom State, a government palliatives scheme, intended to offer relief to the most vulnerable, has descended into chaos and accusations of systemic corruption.
On Monday, long queues snaked through the Ewet Housing Estate in Uyo as the fourth phase of the state’s food distribution programme commenced. However, witnesses described scenes of desperation and humiliation, where able-bodied men and women clutching small pieces of paper queued for hours to collect meagre portions of rice, garri, and beans.
While the state government claims to have earmarked 217,000 bags of rice and beans for the 31 local government areas, residents allege that the exercise is a sham, designed to reward political loyalists rather than feed the hungry.
“The grouse here is not the quantity, but how the ticket found its way to the hands of these people instead of the poorest of the poor,” a concerned observer told Stonix News.
A human rights lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the distribution as “vote buying in advance.”
The process, residents say, is cloaked in secrecy. Officially, beneficiaries are supposed to be drawn from a State Social Register, with distribution handled by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Bulk Purchase Agency. Yet, many who supposedly qualify for the aid claim they had no knowledge of how to obtain the essential vouchers.
“No radio announcement. No town-hall meeting. No list pasted in the village square. What was meant to be a palliative has become another source of anger and grief,” one resident lamented.
Tensions boiled over when vulnerable citizens, who insisted on having their share of the relief, were chased away with whips by security operatives.
“The people who need food most are often those with the least information. Widows, persons with disabilities, and the elderly were treated like animals,” a civil society advocate said.
The controversy has deepened due to unsubstantiated claims by an anonymous official, who suggested the list of vulnerable citizens was compiled in Abuja, a statement widely dismissed as a fabrication.
Under Governor Umo Eno’s “ARISE Agenda,” the administration has pledged to support citizens amid high living costs exacerbated by the removal of the fuel subsidy. However, governance advocates argue that without transparency regarding the criteria for selection, the programme is merely reinforcing patronage networks.
The state government has yet to publish the number of tickets printed, the database of beneficiaries, or the specific criteria for distribution. Residents are calling on Governor Eno to implement a rotational system for the issuance of tickets to ensure equity and avoid the exclusion of the most desperate.
“Poverty is not a PR opportunity. It is pain. Free food should require need, not connection,” a governance advocate stated. “If you want to eat, you must align with us. That is not charity; that is a political tool that deepens division.”
