The Akwa Ibom State government is facing a major pushback over the performance and legality of several of its established bodies.
The Center for Human Rights & Accountability Network (CHRAN), a prominent civil society organization, has issued a sweeping call for the scrapping of several agencies in Akwa Ibom State for not living up to their statutory responsibilities.
CHRAN’s Director, Otuekong Franklyn Isong, presented this critical assessment to newsmen in Uyo on Wednesday, the 10th of December, 2025, following the submission of the organization’s report on the proposed 2026 Appropriation Bill to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
Isong’s recommendations for immediate dissolution target bodies like the Akwa Ibom State Life Enhancement Agency, the Akwa Ibom Urban Taxi Network Limited, and, most controversially, the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board.
The reasons cited for the recommended scrapping were a blend of operational failures and legal infringements, namely lack of impact, inefficiency and constitutional breaches.
Regarding the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Isong argued its continued existence is fundamentally illegal, pointing out its budgetary allocations: “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.”
He then delivered the constitutional justification for the agency’s removal: “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).”
Beyond the call for outright scrapping, Isong underscored the poor performance of other several agencies, including the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency, the Akwa Ibom State Roads and Other Infrastructure Maintenance Agency, and the Akwa Ibom State Rural Access Roads Agency.
READ ALSO: Akwa Ibom Govt Denies Deducting Tithes From Workers’ Salaries
The CHRAN director further advocated for regular legislative oversight and a substantial increase in financial backing for crucial sectors like the judiciary. He stressed that the Akwa Ibom State Judiciary is spread across the 31 Local Government Areas of the state and requires much more allocations.
Isong highlighted the inadequacy of the current budget for the judiciary: “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.”
He concluded by detailing the infrastructural deficit faced by the state’s legal system: “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.”
To address this severe lack of necessary infrastructure and amenities, Isong pushed for a radical increase in the capital allocation designated for the judiciary.