Akwa Ibom Plans Trust Fund for Security Personnel

Okon Bassey in Uyo

Akwa Ibom State Government is to float a State Security Trust Fund to assist security personnel in the state who might be injured or die in the course of fighting crimes in the state.

Already the bill to ensure the State Security Trust Fund is operational is being packaged or drafted by the Executive arm of government in the state for legislative backing.

The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Onofiok Luke, disclosed this yesterday in Uyo while interacting with journalists, saying the executive and legislative are interfacing to be able to come up with the Akwa Ibom State Security Trust Fund.

He explained that the Executive Bill IS the brain-child of the state Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel.

The speaker added that when passed into law, the state government, corporate bodies and people of goodwill will contribute to the fund.

Luke explained that the fund will strictly be applied to assist security personnel helping the state to fight crimes and assist those who died in active service in the course of fighting crimes, as well as providing prompt and proper medical attention to personnel injured while on duty.

Luke noted that the three years’ administration of Governor Emmanuel has promoted peace in the state, pointing out that security challenges experienced in the state before the onset of his government has been seriously put on checked.

The speaker who is the Chairman of the Publicity /Image Committee of Governor Udom Emmanuel re-election campaign group, the Divine Mandate Organisation, enjoined the people of the state to vote Emmanuel back to power in 2019 for continued peace, security, industrialisation and infrastructural development in the state.

Stressing that there cannot be industrialisation without security, the speaker posited that the governor has been working with security agencies in the state to make sure the lives and property of citizens are secured.

The speaker acknowledged that the governor has through his industrialisation programmes built industries in the state that were non-existent in the 31 years of the state’s creation.

The state’s administration under government Emmanuel, he said, has also invested massively in the area of power supply through the different power plants built across the state to boost electricity supply and promote industries.

He called on the people of the state to be patient with the state governor and not judge him based on the circumstances of his being governor, stating that the economic recession affected the financial fortunes of the state when Emmanuel became governor.