The Cross River State Government has unveiled stringent eligibility and verification guidelines for its forthcoming Mass Empowerment Programme, aimed at ensuring that government support reaches genuine grassroots beneficiaries rather than political office holders or individuals who have recently benefited from government interventions.
The policy, released by the Cross River State Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES), is anchored on Governor Sen. Bassey Edet Otu’s People-First agenda and places emphasis on fairness, transparency and community participation.
Under the guidelines, serving political appointees from the national to local government levels, their immediate family members, elected representatives from the national to ward levels and their immediate family members are excluded from the programme.
Party officials at all levels, including national and state officers, chapter chairmen and secretaries, as well as their immediate family members, are also ineligible.
The policy further excludes individuals who have received government empowerment support within the last three years, together with their immediate family members. Beneficiaries of significant government support, including contracts, grants or official scholarships, and their immediate family members, are equally barred from participating.
Priority will instead be given to individuals described as “Community Anchors”, who demonstrate active participation in community development and grassroots civic engagement.
According to the verification framework, beneficiaries will be nominated through recognised community leaders and grassroots stakeholders who can attest to their character and community involvement.
All submitted names will subsequently undergo scrutiny by designated Ward Development Officers to ensure compliance with the eligibility requirements.
In a further move designed to strengthen public accountability, the proposed list of beneficiaries will be published at least two weeks before distribution. During this period, members of the public will be allowed to submit petitions or formal objections against any proposed beneficiary.
Where a complaint is found to be credible, the affected individual will be disqualified and replaced.
Chairman of the Cross River State Youth Empowerment Scheme, Dr. Kalita Joseph Aruku, said the framework was designed to ensure that the empowerment programme serves citizens who genuinely require support and contribute to the development of their communities.
He reaffirmed Governor Otu’s commitment to a People-First approach in which empowerment is used as an instrument for genuine societal development and improved livelihoods.
The framework is expected to make the forthcoming empowerment programme one of the state’s more tightly scrutinised grassroots intervention initiatives, with citizens playing a direct role in the verification process.
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