Cross River State Government has clarified that its Social Investment Programme is open to all eligible residents of the state and not restricted to members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The State Coordinator for Social Intervention and Investment Programme, Effiom Edem, made the clarification during the training of Ward Development Officers held on Friday at Axari Hotels in Calabar.
The training was organised by the Office of the State Coordinator, Social Investment Programme as part of efforts to update the State Social Register for the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme across the 196 council wards of Cross River State.
More than 85 Ward Development Officers from the Southern Senatorial District participated in the exercise, while similar training sessions for the Central and Northern Senatorial Districts have been scheduled for next week.
Speaking with journalists, Edem dismissed insinuations that the programme was designed exclusively for APC members, stressing that the social investment initiative would cut across every strata of the Cross River population.
“No, no, you have seen the distribution of what we are planning to do. It cuts across every strata, every facet of the Cross River population. It is not just strictly for APC,” he said.
He explained that the Ward Development Officers were appointed by Governor Bassey Otu to serve as the closest link between government and the grassroots, ensuring that the benefits of the People First social investment agenda reach vulnerable citizens in all wards.
According to him, the government is also putting in place measures to ensure the sustainability and transparency of the programme, particularly through the digitisation of the entire social register process.
Edem noted that the digital system would help prevent duplication, reduce fraud, and minimise political interference in the selection of beneficiaries.
“To fight political interference, that is the reason why we are building capacity. Once the people themselves know their rights and the limits of their responsibilities, they will always tell those politicians that they cannot go beyond the established boundaries,” he said.
The coordinator disclosed that the state government plans to train 196 Ward Development Officers and 25 Local Government Liaison Officers across the state to facilitate the implementation of the social investment programme.
He added that the programme is expected to support 150 beneficiaries, with 100 persons benefiting from direct cash transfers, while others would receive skills acquisition and empowerment support.
Also speaking, the State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, Dr. Prince Michael Nku Abuo, reiterated that the beneficiary selection process would include representatives from churches, Muslim communities, women groups, youth groups, traditional institutions, APC members, and non-APC political actors.
He said the 196 Ward Development Officers would serve as the “eyes and ears” of the governor at the grassroots and ensure that the approved structure for beneficiary selection is strictly followed.
“This programme is structured in such a way that everybody is properly carried along. Cross River State belongs to all of us, and Governor Bassey Otu is the governor of both APC members and members of other political parties,” Nku Abuo said.
The Social Investment Programme is part of the state government’s broader effort to strengthen social protection, reduce poverty, and improve the welfare of poor and vulnerable households through targeted cash transfers and empowerment initiatives.
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