Governor Umo Eno has instituted a N100 million education intervention fund to assist physically challenged students in public tertiary institutions in Akwa Ibom State.
Eno announced this when he granted audience to the University of Uyo chapter of the National Association of Students with Disabilities, led by the President Emmanuel Wisdom in his office in Uyo, the state capital.
Announcing the intervention, Eno said the move was a passion to give the student body a sense of belonging to underscore the political inclusion drive of his administration.
He mandated the Office of Accountant General, Secretary to the State Government, Ministry of Education as well as Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare to supervise the disbursement of the fund.
He warned against bureaucratic bottlenecks in the disbursement of the fund, explaining that the gesture was to encourage them and make life easier for them and maintained that some physically challenged persons were more focused than those with no disability.
“We have set up a fund for the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Women Affairs to manage, the Accountant General would look at it and the SSG would facilitate it.
“We will deposit N100 million into that fund immediately to support all disabled or physically challenged students in the public tertiary institutions for disabled Akwa Ibom students and those residing around here.
“That money is set aside for them. The Ministry of Women Affairs and Ministry of Education will verify that the beneficiaries are in school and pay school fees directly to their schools, then give them a little allowance to keep them in school until graduation.
“It’s just N100 million. From time to time we may augment it but for now we will put it there. The Ministry of Women Affairs will ensure that they profile them properly so that they make sure they benefit from it.
“All you need is an approval to open maybe a joint account and the money will be kept there and the SSG will authorize payment.
“I don’t want the bureaucratic bottleneck of them applying and there is no money so we put the money there for you to manage and give us the report but please let’s verify and make sure these are the right people and encourage them.
“This idea is to encourage them and make life easier for them. At least if they want to go to school let’s pay their tuition because they are doing very well and even better than some of us that say we are not challenged.
“Like I said in one of those meetings all of us are challenged one way or the other. I just want to say that you are not alone, we will work with you and support you,” he explained.
The governor announced a cash donation to one of the disabled Students, Udeme Emmanuel, in addition to a monthly stipend to aid his participation in the Law School and assured him of automatic employment in the Ministry of Justice on his completion of the course.
“I believe that if the physical challenged ones among us love to go to school we must support them, for Udeme Emmanuel who is leaving for law school, we will support him and pay monthly allowance for his upkeep and give him automatic employment in the Ministry of Justice immediately he is through with the law school,” he said.
Two of the students, Emmanuel Wisdom and Ubong Imoh Ikpe were appointed Personal Assistants on student matters and on students with disability, respectively.
Speaking, Wisdom and Ubong Ikpe, expressed appreciation to the governor for his political inclusion agenda, acknowledging that the physically challenged have been positively touched and promised to carry out their duties with diligence.
