…Vows crackdown on vandals as stakeholders deliberate on INEC voters’ registration
By Favour Umanah
The Executive Chairman of Etim Ekpo Local Government Council, Gideon Uwa, on Monday put smiles on the faces of physically challenged persons in the area as he supervised the distribution of food palliatives donated by the Dangote Group.
The donation, which came in the form of bags of rice, was part of the Dangote Foundation’s nationwide intervention to cushion the effects of economic hardship on vulnerable groups.
Uwa who personally handed over the items to the beneficiaries at the council secretariat, went further to complement the gesture with additional cash support to each of the recipients.
According to the council boss, the humanitarian outreach was not just about sharing food but also about giving hope and restoring dignity to people living with disabilities in Etim Ekpo.
“This intervention from the Dangote Group is commendable, and as a council, we must show love and solidarity with our people, especially those who are most vulnerable. That is why I decided to add a token in cash to support them in meeting other needs beyond food,” Uwa said.
The beneficiaries, who could not hide their joy, expressed gratitude to both the Dangote Group and the Chairman for remembering them in such challenging times. They described the gesture as timely and life-saving.
In the same vein, the council boss, flanked by the Commissioner for Youth Development, Dr. Ekerette Ekanem, later held a stakeholders’ engagement at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office, Utu Etim Ekpo, to mark the commencement of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise in the area.
At the meeting, Uwa emphasized the importance of voter registration, urging eligible residents particularly young people and first-time voters to take advantage of the exercise to secure their voter cards. He stressed that active participation in the electoral process was key to strengthening democracy and ensuring that the voices of Etim Ekpo people were heard.
The council boss also received stakeholders on a courtesy visit in his office, where he restated his commitment to transparent and people-centered leadership before inspecting the power substation transformer in the area that was recently destroyed by hoodlums.
Expressing displeasure over the incident, Uwa ordered the immediate prosecution of all those involved in the act of vandalism. He particularly commended the Village Youth President of Utu Ikot Imonte and other patriotic youths of the area for providing credible intelligence that led to the arrest of the culprits.
Reassuring the people of his administration’s zero tolerance for insecurity, the council chairman declared that no form of criminality would be condoned under his watch, stressing that the protection of public infrastructure remained a collective responsibility.
He was accompanied by the Vice Chairman, Hon. (Mrs). Choice Friday; Secretary of Council, Mr. Mmeti Umanah; Honourable Supervisors led by the Dean, Hon. Uko Ekpoudom; Fmr Leader of Council, Hon. Joseph Jim and other officials of the council.
