Staff of the Akwa Ibom state Agency for community and social development programme and the concerned Akwa Ibom benefiting communities are
appealing to Governor Umo Eno to direct the Commissioner for Economic Development, Mr. Emen Almond Bob, to as a matter of urgency ensure speedily reopening and funding of the Agency and implementation of the World Bank community development support Projects, which they said over one billion naira was allotted to the State in 2022 for.
The staff of the agency and the concerned benefiting communities made the appeal
during a peaceful protest to the Agency's office in Uyo where they said if urgent intervention is not urgently taken by Governor Umo Eno, to address the issues of paying the backlog of salaries owed staffs of the agency and the funds gotten from world bank in 2022 for which projects have not been done, and Akwa Ibom State may lose over 1.4 billion naira grant to the State for Community development, vulnerable programme and livelihood support funds from the World Bank in 2023 and as well refund that of 2022 to the world bank since it was not put to use.
SPEAKING, Mr. Donald Iwok, one of the protesters alleged that the commissioner is planning to replace the staff of the agency who have been trained and vest with requisite experience to work in line with the standard of the world bank with his loyalists who knows nothing about the programs of the agency.
It would be recalled that the commissioner, Emem Bob, under Governor Udom Emmanuel's administration, unlawfully closed down the operations of the agency in January 2023, according to a letter dated 23rd January 2023, against the provisions of the law of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly establishing the Agency in Section 1 (1).
Meanwhile the Concerned Akwa Ibom Benefiting Communities has in a communique lament that since 2018 till date, no community development project has been executed in Akwa Ibom State through the agency despite the funds that were released to the State" through the account of the agency which is now allegedly control by the Commissioner for Economic Development, Mr. Emem Bob, as a signatory.
The Communities explained the rationale behind their coming together to advocate for immediate implementation of the projects, and intervention of Gov. Umo Eno, on the ground that the projects have experienced undue delay despite the availability of funds and appealed to Governor Umo Eno, to please, direct immediate reopening of the agency's office activities, with an outstanding 11 months salaries of the agency's workers paid to them, and remove those sabotaging government programs and policies from the ministry.
The benefiting communities the Agency which was established in 2009 to has so far executed 378 life touching projects, including Construction of Health Centres, Drilling of Motorized Borehole, Construction of Civic Centres, Construction of Culvert Drainage, Establishment of Skill Acquisition Centers, Construction of Open Markets, Provision of Electricity/Installation of Transformers, Construction/Renovation of Class Room Blocks among others, in Communities across the 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State thereby using the international community assisted funds in translating the agenda of successive governments in the State and pastor Umoh Eno's administration should not be left out since his focus is on developing the rural areas.
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