UNDERSTANDING UMO ENO'S NEW DEAL WITH AKWA IBOM PEOPLE.
Written by Daniel David Edon
When leaders are faced with daunting economic problems, they usually think outside the box. That motivated the Umo Eno's led administration of Akwa Ibom State to establish the Bulk Purchase Agency, AKBPA.
The Bulk Purchase Agency is a a child of circumstance and a necessity.
According to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, United States of America was faced with this kind of economic depression. In 1929, the country experience a crash in Stock Market and attendance depressed economy that brought hunger throughout United States. The then President Frankly Roosevelt introduced an intervention program he called: AMERICAN NEW DEAL: The Deal put people back to work, saved capitalism and restored hope and confidence in America economic system, while at the same time revived a sense of hope in American people. It focused on relief for the needy, economic recovery and financial reforms. It provided a remedial approach to tackle hunger.
In that same vein, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno is bringing to the table at this point of our depressed Economy, AN AKWA IBOM NEW DEAL: The New Deal has a short term, medium term and Long Term Approach.
SHORT TERM APPROACH
The Short Term Approach is to provide free food for the poor and the vulnerable in our local Communities across the 31 local government Areas. The free food items so choosen, are staple good items that are quite expensive and the poor can no longer afford them: These are beans, garri and Rice. Now it's only the rich who can afford them, but the governor insist that they are given free to the poor.
The talk and do Governor, Umo Eno whom his Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Frank Archibong described as Joseph of our time who both dreams and interprete the dream. He dreamt of this program and now he has made the dream a reality, by providing succour to the poor and downtrodden.
He leaves no stone unturned and wasted no time in reeling out his program. He had already appointed his Personal Assistants across the Wards in 31 local government Areas. These Ward PAs, numbering Three Hundred and Sixty Eight (368) men and women, are the key drivers of this program at the grassroot level. They were trained, given Android Tablets where all the names of the poor and vulnersble in the Social Register are profiled and downloaded.
On 26th. day of March, he did an official flag-off of the Free Food Program in the State and order that all Local Government Chairmen should do same in their domains. On 2nd day of April, that order was carried out in accordance with his directives. Local Government and stakeholders were seen giving out food distribution vouchers, stating food items each person can collect. Either 5kg of rice, beans or garri. This writer can say with all amount of sincerity that joy across the State is loud.
MEDIUM TERM APPROACH
The Medium Term Approach: According to the Governor, this level of approach will be to ensure that food items are available and affordable. Hear him: "The major driver of this medium term approach will be the Bulk Purchase Agency.
The Agency will stock not only food items but will also intervene in other items like cement, iron, roofing sheets and anything that are of need to people of the State. According to the governor, the Agency will go into sources/manufacturers of these materials, take distributorship, get the items to the people, who can come, take the items, sell and return money to Government.
Warehouses will be built by the Bulk Purchase Agency, to provide a safe and secured storage for the different line items.
The Governor said that the intervention is not to chase away or compete with the market people but to show them that the government has the capacity to flood the market with affordable items in case the market unions want to be smart and funny.
This writer is aware of some antics of trade Union. They sometimes get their members to hoard items, and be selling in turn, thereby causing artificial scarcity and panic buy will set in. When the items are scarce, price will increase.
In Applied economics, we were taught that HOARDING CAUSES INFLATION and HOARDING IS ECONOMIC SABOTAGE.
Interestingly, government has also announced an interest free loan of about One Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira (N1.5B), that is Five Hundred Million, (N500M) per the three Senatorial Districts of Uyo, Eket and Ikot Ekpene, for market traders especially those dealing on food items.
The decision of the Governor to float this Free Loan facility is as the result of complain of traders that one of the reasons price of items are high is because they collect loan and pays high interest.
Traders also complain of high cost of transportation as being one of the factors leading to the rising cost of food and other items in the market. This the Governor has intervened.
The Governor in his speech during the official flag-off of the free food program said that the Bulk Purchase Agency would be provided with Trucks and Trailers so that it will help the traders to use to Transport their goods from wherever in the country to the State.
So with the financial lifeline (Free Loan) and the provision of vehicles, the price of food items and other items is expected to have a significant drop in no distance time. That's for the medium term.
LONG TERM APPROACH
For a Long - Term Approach, the Government has announced repeatedly that everyone must return to farming, "OPERATION BACK TO FARM" as a strategy for food availability, price reduction and ultimately to stop hunger.
He has ordered that all his Commissioners, his Deputy et al, must own a farm. That he has one too. It can be recalled that in time past, every home used to have garden, either behind or infront of their houses. Our parents never used to buy garri, fufu and vegetables in the market. We grow them and produced all our swallows in our compounds.
Government understands that those who may want to farm doesn't have enough land and those with land doesn't want to plant. So the Government has setup a committee to provide free seedlings, provide hectres of lands and interest Free loans for farmers.
The Governor said he will soon launch Farmers with Swag for Agric students. The students would be provided with land, tools, seedlings and interest free loans.
To further encourage farmers, Governor Umo Eno has also announced that if during harvest, you don't have enough buyers, on notification, the Bulk Purchase Agency will buy everything off you at a good price.
This segment of approach will also see traders outside the State coming to buy food and other items from Akwa Ibom State. We will also be exporting food items to other countries for forex. The Governor assured.
Finally, the Governor assured the people of Akwa Ibom State that his Government will not stop until Akwa Ibomites witness Food Availability, Affordability and Price Stability.
Comments