The Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has recorded significant interventions in food security, housing, social protection, disability inclusion, youth empowerment and emergency assistance within its first two years of operation.
The Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Princess Emem Ibanga, stated this on Monday, September 28, 2026, during the ongoing Ministerial Media Briefing at Akpan Isemin Hall, Government House, Uyo, where she presented the Ministry’s scorecard and highlighted the State Government’s interventions for vulnerable citizens.
Princess Ibanga said the establishment of the Ministry by Governor Umo Eno had provided a dedicated institutional framework for coordinating humanitarian and social protection interventions across the State.
She explained that since becoming operational in October 2024, the Ministry had worked to move humanitarian intervention beyond immediate relief by strengthening systems for identifying vulnerability, delivering targeted assistance and supporting beneficiaries towards recovery and self-reliance.
The Commissioner highlighted the ARISE Free Food Security Programme, which has impacted 833,481 households across the 31 Local Government Areas, as one of the major interventions of the administration.
She also cited the ARISE Compassionate Homes Initiative, through which 461 homes have so far been completed and handed over to vulnerable families, with each beneficiary receiving a N500,000 business grant to support livelihood recovery.
According to her, the State’s social protection response has also extended to senior citizens, with 12,000 elderly persons benefiting from the ARISE Elderly Initiative over 20 months, while more than 1,481 senior citizens have been registered under the State’s health insurance scheme.
Princess Ibanga said Persons with Disabilities had remained a key focus of the Ministry’s interventions, with 243 students receiving educational support from the N100 million disability education fund and 1,287 Persons with Disabilities enrolled in the ARISE Health Insurance Scheme.
She added that the State had received 444 mobility and assistive devices, comprising 263 wheelchairs and 181 assistive walking devices, while the Ministry had established an Assistive Device Clinic, holding every second and fourth Thursday of the month, to assess beneficiaries and provide them with devices fitted to their individual needs.
The Commissioner further noted that the Ministry had strengthened social protection through its coordination of the National Social Investment Programmes in the State. She said 101,266 vulnerable households benefited from the Conditional Cash Transfer programme between 2024 and 2026, receiving N75,000 each.
Beyond direct relief, Princess Ibanga said the Ministry had also pursued interventions aimed at economic empowerment, disclosing that youths had benefited from entrepreneurship training, cash support, equipment, mini-buses and other forms of livelihood assistance.
She noted that partnerships with faith-based organisations, foundations, development partners and private sector institutions had further expanded the reach of humanitarian interventions in areas including disability support, food security, youth employability and emergency response.
The Commissioner cited the partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which provided the wheelchairs and assistive walking devices, as well as the Jobberman/Mastercard Foundation partnership through which 15,000 youths across nine Local Government Areas received soft-skills training.
She said the Ministry had also continued to respond to specific humanitarian needs through initiatives such as the ARISE Care and Share, seasonal interventions, support for vulnerable persons and targeted financial assistance, including N10 million facilitated for the medical treatment of Obonganwan Margaret Archibong.
Looking ahead, Princess Ibanga said the Ministry would continue to prioritise stronger humanitarian coordination, improve beneficiary identification, expand social protection, disability inclusion, emergency preparedness, support for senior citizens as well as sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The Commissioner expressed appreciation to Governor Umo Eno for his support and for creating the Ministry, describing its establishment as a demonstration of the administration’s attention to the welfare and dignity of vulnerable citizens while reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to working with communities, development partners and relevant government institutions to ensure that humanitarian interventions are gets to the targeted beneficiaries.
Earlier the Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, said the Ministerial Briefing Series was aimed at providing the public with factual accounts of the achievements of Governor Umo Eno’s administration across various sectors under the ARISE Agenda.
He clarified that the State Senior Citizens Establishment Law, 2026, had already been signed into law by Governor Umo Eno on July 28, 2026, as part of 14 bills assented to on the day, stressing that the legislation provides a framework for the institutionalisation of care and support for senior citizens in the state.
Umanah also highlighted the payment of about ₦98 billion out of the ₦111 billion inherited gratuity liabilities, as well as ₦1.673 billion in transport and support allowances for 33,481 BECE candidates, as part of the administration’s interventions to improve citizens’ welfare.
The Statistician-General and Permanent Secretary, Human Capital Development, Mr Uduak Isaac, said the Governor had approved the update of the Social Register across the state’s 2,272 villages, urging residents to cooperate with field enumerators. He clarified that inclusion in the register does not automatically qualify an individual as a beneficiary, as specific parameters are applied to identify poor and vulnerable persons.
In her vote of thanks, The Financial Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, Mrs Udeme Hosea, who represented the Chairman, Comrade Nsibiet John, thanked the State Government for organizing the briefing, noting that it provided journalists with accurate and verified information to enhance their reportage, and assured that the NUJ would continue to objectively report government programmes and propagate the achievements of the ARISE Agenda.
Also present at the briefing were the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Inibehe Silas, Special Adviser to the Governor on Cooperatives and Rural Development, Rt. Hon Alice Ekpenyong, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Mrs Eno Akpan, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Akparawa James Edet, Delivery Advisor, Senior Citizens Centre, Mrs Itanwan James, Senior Special Assistant on Senior Citizens mobilization, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on local media, Comrade Amos Etuk, Special Assistant to the Governor on Humanitarian Services, Eld. Prince Umoekpo, government officials, Journalists among others