ARISE Food Programme Reaches 833,481 Households In Two Years

• 833,481 households benefited from the ARISE Free Food Security Programme across Akwa Ibom’s 31 LGAs.

• 461 vulnerable families received completed homes and ₦500,000 business grants each.

• 12,000 elderly persons benefited from the ARISE Elderly Initiative in 20 months.

• 101,266 vulnerable households received ₦75,000 each under the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme.

September 28, () – No fewer than 833,481 households across the 31 Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State have benefited from the ARISE Free Food Security Programme, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Princess Emem Ibanga, has disclosed.

Ibanga made the disclosure on Monday during the ongoing Ministerial Media Briefing at Akpan Isemin Hall, Government House, Uyo, where she presented the ministry’s two-year scorecard since its establishment in 2024.

According to her, the intervention formed part of the state government’s broader social protection strategy to provide relief to vulnerable residents while strengthening systems for identifying beneficiaries and supporting their recovery and self-reliance.

She said the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, which became operational in October 2024, had also completed and handed over 461 homes to vulnerable families under the ARISE Compassionate Homes Initiative.

Ibanga added that each beneficiary of the homes received a ₦500,000 business grant to support livelihood recovery and improve household economic resilience.

On support for senior citizens, the Commissioner said 12,000 elderly persons had benefited from the ARISE Elderly Initiative within 20 months, while more than 1,481 senior citizens had been registered under the State Health Insurance Scheme.

The Commissioner said the welfare of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) remained a priority, with 243 students benefiting from the ₦100 million Disability Education Fund, while 1,287 PWDs had been enrolled in the ARISE Health Insurance Scheme.

She disclosed that the state had also received 444 mobility and assistive devices, comprising 263 wheelchairs and 181 assistive walking devices, through partnerships with development organisations.

To improve access to appropriate devices, Ibanga said the ministry had established an Assistive Device Clinic, which operates on the second and fourth Thursday of every month to assess beneficiaries and provide devices suited to their individual needs.

She further disclosed that 101,266 vulnerable households benefited from the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme between 2024 and 2026, with each household receiving N75,000.

The Commissioner said the ministry had also expanded its interventions to youth empowerment through entrepreneurship training, cash support, equipment, mini-buses and other livelihood assistance.

She cited a partnership involving Jobberman and the Mastercard Foundation, through which 15,000 youths across nine LGAs received soft-skills training, while The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supported the state with wheelchairs and assistive walking devices.

Ibanga said the ministry had continued to respond to specific humanitarian needs through the ARISE Care and Share initiative, seasonal interventions and targeted financial assistance, including ₦10 million facilitated for the medical treatment of Obonganwan Margaret Archibong.

She said the ministry would, going forward, focus on strengthening humanitarian coordination, improving beneficiary identification, expanding social protection and disability inclusion, enhancing emergency preparedness, supporting senior citizens and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.

The Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, said the figures presented by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs demonstrated the administration’s emphasis on reaching vulnerable residents with measurable interventions.

Umanah said, “What stands out from this scorecard is that humanitarian intervention in Akwa Ibom is increasingly being organised around identifiable beneficiaries and measurable outcomes.

“Reaching more than 833,000 households with food support, alongside housing, health insurance, disability assistance and cash-transfer interventions, shows the scale of the social protection architecture being developed by the administration.

“The next responsibility is to sustain transparency in beneficiary identification and ensure that these interventions continue to translate into lasting improvements in the lives of the people.”

Umanah said the Ministerial Media Briefing Series was designed to give the public factual information on the performance of the administration across sectors under the ARISE Agenda.

He also disclosed that the State Senior Citizens Establishment Law, 2026, had been signed into law by Governor Umo Eno on July 28, alongside 13 other bills, providing a legal framework for institutionalising care and support for senior citizens.

The establishment of the Senior Citizens Centre was among the 14 laws announced by the state government.

The Information Commissioner further highlighted the payment of about ₦98 billion out of ₦111 billion in inherited gratuity liabilities, as well as ₦1.673 billion in transport and support allowances for 33,481 BECE candidates.

Meanwhile, the Statistician-General and Permanent Secretary, Human Capital Development, Mr Uduak Isaac, disclosed that Governor Eno had approved the updating of the Social Register across the state’s 2,272 villages.

He urged residents to cooperate with field enumerators, stressing that inclusion in the register did not automatically qualify an individual for benefits, as specific criteria were applied to identify poor and vulnerable persons.

The Treasurer of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Akwa Ibom State Council, Mrs Udeme Hosea, who represented the Chairman, Comrade Nsibiet John, commended the state government for organising the briefing.

She said the exercise had provided journalists with verified information to improve their reportage and assured that the NUJ would continue to objectively report government programmes and developments under the ARISE Agenda.