By Emmanuel Ndon
With the swearing-in of 368 Personal Assistants (Ward PAs) from all the political Wards (AKISIEC recognized) in Akwa Ibom State, Governor Umo Eno’s ARISE blueprint is gathering steam.
That figure in the state is a record breaking number of appointments in one fell swoop.
Under the five-point cardinal objective of the ARISE Agenda, the governor seems to place premium – and intentionally so – on the second rural development/women and youth empowerment.
During the campaigns, he often romanticized about not just halting rural-urban drift, but having the rural folks relish the attraction and amenities that has over time been the exclusive preserve of urban cities and towns
Umo Eno’s Rural Development Agenda
In Nigeria, the largest number of people reside in rural areas. The country’s rural population for 2022 is put at 101,575,770. A rural area is generally a geographic area located outside of towns and cities. The typical rural area has a low population density and small settlements.
However, in Nigeria, rural areas refers to dense or vast areas with limited resources in terms of infrastructure, human and financial resources.
Income levels of rural residents are relatively low. Available data estimates an average rural household earnings at about N45, 000.
In Akwa Ibom State rural areas are mostly agrarian. They lack infrastructure like electricity and roads, schools and health facilities. The absence of these infrastructure provides serious setbacks for their socio-economic well-being.
Bad or non-existent roads denies movement of goods and services, especially farm produce. Children in these areas are not educated while lives are subjected to preventable deaths due to inadequate or non-existent health facility.
All these anomalies is the focus of Umo Eno’s rural development drive which he is committed to reversing the ugly trend.
Also read: 2023: Umo Eno Not Desperate For Power Yet Parades Best Blueprint For A’Ibom
On assumption of duty, Governor Umo Eno established the Akwa Ibom State Rural Access Road Agency (RARA). This agency, modeled after the World Bank’s RAMP (Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project), is intended to provide access to and from farmlands for easy movement of Agricultural produce.Also -read
According to the governor, his aim is to see that “sooner the entire nooks and crannies of Akwa Ibom State will be one gigantic land of very hard-working, self-sufficient and happy people, rising in one accord to fulfill the dreams of our founding fathers and God’s plans for us all”.
Against the backdrop of the worrisome statistics of unending problems in the rural setting, it is evident that Umo Eno is intentional about reversing the dark fortune that has long beset the inhabitants of these areas.
In this wise, the appointment of the Ward Personal Assistants by the governor is ripe with multiple benefits. Firstly, the PAs will complement the governor’s original vision serving as his eyes and ears in their respective areas.
Since the intention is to bring government closer to the people, the PAs will also act as communication channels between their areas and the governor where their needs and challenges are factored in. Where and when development projects come to their area, it is their responsibility to oversee and ensure that such projects are properly executed as well as protected from vandalism – perhaps part of the reasons the governor insisted they reside in their wards.
Secondly, the appointment of such a large number of people in itself is a fulfilment of the governor’s promise on women and youth empowerment, which is the second part of rural development in the ARISE Agenda.
Beyond providing meaningful employment at a time of such austerity as we are, not only can the beneficiaries and their households put food on their table, but the multiplier effect on economic conditions in the state can only be imagined.
The governor deserves more accolades when it’s discovered that these appointments cut across party lines and His Excellency’s support base. What is however left is for the appointees to discharge their functions effectively by keeping the governor abreast of what is going on in their respective areas through regular updates.
Anyway you look at it, RARA and the appointment of the Ward PAs is already fulfilling the R’s objective in the ARISE Agenda
