The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, rewarded the state’s youth with N310 million for their willingness to boycott the #EndBadGovernance protest in August. The governor announced that the reward would be given to leaders of youths in the 31 local government areas of the state.
Earlier, leading up to the protest, the governor had promised in a stakeholders meeting held in the state that he would appreciate the youths if they failed to participate in the nationwide protest held from August 1st to 10th.
The governor announced this on Tuesday in the state capital while speaking during the thank you tour at the Uyo Township Stadium. He noted that all the local governments in the state will benefit from N10 million naira each, and all the political parties in the state should benefit from the sharing of the money.
The governor noted that the gifting was fulfilling his promise during the protest, which took place across the country. He applauded the youths for hearing the government’s plea and not participating in the protest, which took several lives and destroyed properties in different states. The governor noted that the government could not leave the people the way they were.
The governor, who spoke on the impact of protests, explained that, at different times, some individuals had hijacked peaceful protests and destroyed government properties that the government had laboured to build in the 37 years of the state’s existence. He noted that the expression of anger would only take the state backwards.
The governor noted that the government was out to offer gratitude to the state’s youths who stood by them during the exercise. He said the government had heard the concerns raised by the citizens loud and clear, noting that the issues causing problems in the country had been heard by the government.
The governor listed some of the challenges as hunger, unemployment, and the high cost of food. He said the government will take cogent steps to address the challenges with the resources the state has to give the people a better life.
The governor disclosed that the state government would employ 100 youths per Local Government Area to be added to the Ibom Community Watch. The governor noted that the candidates would be taken across party lines. He noted that the group does not consider party lines or discrimination.
The governor announced that the government had approved increasing the student bursary allowance from the initial N10,000 to N20,000 for undergraduates and from N20,000 to N30,000 for those pursuing professional courses and postgraduate studies.
The governor also disclosed that the Ministry of Labour was collaborating with my Senior Special Assistant on ICT to open an employment portal for all youths in Akwa Ibom. According to him, when a candidate registers, the details will be sorted automatically by area of specialisation. He noted that the government will use the portal during different recruitment exercises.
Speaking on feature plans, the governor disclosed that the government will engage with oil companies in Akwa Ibom to gather applicants for interviews. He noted that the government is trying to avoid long queues in the state. Instead, technology will be employed in different ways.
Umo Eno disclosed that the portal would be used to select 5,000 youths monthly with N50,000 business grants; the governor explained that the grant would help start small businesses or farms. He noted that the government wants to try in every way possible to stop the people from idle. According to him, the grant is a one-time opportunity.
Some stakeholders spoke at the event and urged the governor to push for the completion of the Ibom Science Park, initiated by former Governor Obong Victor Attah. According to them, the park was meant to accelerate the state’s technological growth but was abandoned by successive administrations after significant investment.
