A civil society organization, Center for Human Rights & Accountability Network, CHRAN, has called for the scrapping of several agencies in Akwa Ibom State for not living up to their statutory responsibilities.
The CHRAN Director, Otuekong Franklyn Isong, made the call while presenting a report on the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly newsmen on Wednesday in Uyo .
Isong recommended the scrapping of several agencies, including the Akwa Ibom State Life Enhancement Agency, Akwa Ibom Urban Taxi Network Limited, and the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board.
He cited lack of impact, inefficiency and constitutional breaches as reasons for the recommended scrapping.
“In Item No. 47 of the Recurrent Expenditure, the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board is allocated N311,851,970.00 while in item No. 26 of the Capital Expenditure, the Board is allocated N14,000,000.00.
“The Center observes that the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, which was established by the Military Administration of Yakubu Bako in 1993 is in violation of Section 10 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which prohibits the Government of the Federation or of a State from adopting any religion as State religion.
“The Center advocates the scrapping of the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board in compliance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”
Isong highlighted the poor performance of other several agencies, including the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency, Akwa Ibom State Roads and Other Infrastructure Maintenance Agency, and Akwa Ibom State Rural Access Roads Agency.
The CHRAN director called for regular legislative oversight and increased funding for key sectors, such as the judiciary.
He noted that the Akwa Ibom State Judiciary is spread across the 31 Local Government Areas of the state and requires much more allocations.
“In Item No. 25 of the Recurrent Expenditure, the Akwa Ibom State Judiciary is allocated N7,762,699,560.00 and in Item No. 16 of the Capital Expenditure, the State Judiciary is allocated a paltry sum of N4,221,989,900.00.
“The Center observes that the Akwa Ibom State Judiciary is spread across the 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State and requires much more allocations.
“The CHRAN notes that Court buildings and facilities in most of the 31 Local Government Areas of the State are dilapidated and lack basic facilities, such as toilets, power supply, water and perimeter fencing.”
Isong advocated for a radical increase in the capital allocation for the judiciary, citing the need for modern amenities and infrastructure.
