Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) from the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State have laid siege on the Government House in Uyo, the state capital, demanding the immediate removal of the Personal Assistant (PA) to Governor Umo Eno on Disability Matters, Comrade Ubong Ikpe, over alleged misappropriation of a N100 million intervention fund donated by government to support physically challenged and indigent students.
To alleviate suffering of the physically challenged, Governor Eno established a N100 million Education Intervention Fund (EIF) "to assist physically challenged students of Akwa Ibom origin and other disabled students residing in the state and studying in public tertiary institutions across the state."
Governor Eno made the announcement recently during a courtesy visit to the governor at Government House by members of the National Association of Students with Disabilities (NANSWDs), University of Uyo chapter, led by the president, Comrade Emmanuel Wisdom.
The accountant-general's office, in collaboration with the ministries of Education, Women Affairs, and Social Welfare, as well as the SSG's office, was tasked with overseeing the equitable disbursement of the funds, as the governor had warned against any administrative bottleneck in the management of the funds.
However, dozens of disgruntled beneficiaries, led by the PLWDs' coordinator in charge of the 31 LGAs, Comrade Ekerette Udoakpan, stormed the Government House in protest, accusing the governor's aide on Disability Matters, Ubong Ikpe, of shutting out several members and shortchanging them.
It took the intervention of some Government House security personnel stationed at the gate to calm the protesters, who had grumbled that neither the governor, his deputy (Sen Akon Eyakenyi), nor the secretary to the state government (SSG), Prince Enobong Uwah, were present to address their concerns.
Udoakpan vowed to occupy the Government House gate until the governor returned, saying they would go to any length to get justice because their future was on the verge of being mortgaged.
