06/10/2026
Humanitarian Affairs, Women Affairs, Cooperatives Bureau Present ARISE Scorecards
By Dorathy Ime
The Akwa Ibom State Government has highlighted its interventions in humanitarian support, women empowerment and grassroots development as three government institutions presented their scorecards under the ARISE Agenda.
The presentations were made by the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Hon. Emem Ibanga; Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Inibehe Etukudo; and Special Adviser, Bureau of Cooperatives and Rural Development, Rt. Hon. Alice Ekpeyong, during the ongoing Ministerial Media Briefing Series.
Presenting her ministry’s scorecard, Hon. Ibanga said the administration was moving beyond emergency relief towards a sustainable social protection system for vulnerable citizens.
“In practical terms, this means moving beyond emergency relief to build a more proactive and sustainable humanitarian system,” she said.
She disclosed that the ARISE Free Food Security Programme had reached 833,481 households across the 31 local government areas through four phases, while 500 fully furnished, solar-powered homes had been constructed under the ARISE Compassionate Homes initiative.
The Commissioner added that each beneficiary received a ₦500,000 business grant, while 12,000 elderly citizens benefited from the Elderly Citizens Initiative and more than 1,481 were registered under the ARISE Health Insurance Scheme.
She further disclosed that 243 students with disabilities benefited from a ₦100 million educational intervention fund, while 1,287 persons with disabilities were enrolled in the state’s health insurance scheme.
Hon. Ibanga also said 444 mobility aids, comprising 263 wheelchairs and 181 assistive walking devices, had been received, with more than 300 persons benefiting from their distribution.
In her presentation, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Inibehe Etukudo, highlighted interventions in economic empowerment, child protection, support for families of fallen heroes and response to gender-based violence.
She disclosed that 60 livelihood cooperative processing mills for cassava and oil palm had been established across six local government areas, with plans to extend the initiative to nine additional areas.
Hon. Etukudo said more than 1,700 widows had received financial empowerment, while 248 sewing machines and 150 lock-up stores had been provided to support vulnerable families.
On child protection, the Commissioner said 493 children were receiving care across five government homes, while 200 indigenous children had been sponsored for NECO and JAMB examinations.
She added that 22 caregivers and five graduates had been granted automatic employment, while 93 survivors of gender-based violence received financial support.
Hon. Etukudo further disclosed that a 20-member committee had been inaugurated to address gender-based violence, with disputes involving more than 300 families mediated and sensitisation campaigns reaching over 3,600 women.
Presenting the Bureau’s achievements, its Head, Rt. Hon. Ekpeyong, said cooperative societies were being repositioned as instruments of economic inclusion, job creation and rural development.
She disclosed that 369 ARISE Women Cooperative societies had been registered across the state's 369 wards, with 200 members each, while the first phase provides ₦20 million per ward for 73,800 beneficiaries.
According to her, this translates to ₦100,000 per woman and an estimated ₦7.38 billion, while about 60 cooperatives, comprising 12,000 women, had also been registered under the Nigerian for Women Project.
Rt. Hon. Ekpeyong said 607 new cooperative societies and 11 Community Development Associations were registered between March and April 2025, bringing the state's registered cooperatives to 31,607.
She explained that registration was suspended to facilitate a cooperative portal and the introduction of the Cooperative Unique Identification Number (CUIN) for a centralised database and revalidation of existing societies.
On accountability, she disclosed that more than 1,760 cooperative societies were audited between May and December 2025, while 5,000 trustees were targeted for training in proper record management.
She added that about 50 fishermen's cooperatives received grants and fishing equipment from Governor Umo Eno in 2025, while 140 additional societies were registered in February for a second empowerment phase.
The presentations highlighted interventions in social welfare, economic empowerment and grassroots development as the state government continues assessing the implementation of the ARISE Agenda.
