AKWA IBOM: Crisis Looms As Community Faults FG’s N600m project

UYO, AKWA IBOM April 17, (THEWILL) - Crisis is brewing in Mbo, Akwa Ibom State, as Mbo Youths Coalition, the umbrella body of youths in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has faulted the Federal Government’s contract on the reclamation/shore line protection of Effiat community.

The youths are claiming that the most hit village by the natural disaster, Inua-Abasi, was not included in the Federal Government’s N600 million contract for the reclamation project, threatening that unless the anomaly is rectified, they would not guarantee the success of the project.

Mbo Youths Coalition in a letter to the Ag President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, and signed by its leader, Sunday Inyang, and Coordinator, Omona Richard, want the project reviewed to begin from the worse hit village, Inua-Abasi, which is battling extinction as a result of marine erosion.

The group also accused the consultancy firm that did the survey of the area, University of Uyo Consultancy Limited, of doing a shoddy job as it refused to work in the most affected village, Inua-Abasi. 

The youths also accused the company of refusing to work with Mbo youths.

According to the statement, "The University of Uyo Consultancy Limited bluntly refused to work with the indigenes of the community even when the youths voluntarily wanted to assist them achieve good result by showing them the most devastated areas of the community, but they rather chose to listen and work with the political class, who misled them into surveying only the least affected areas while neglecting Inua-Abasi village."

They reasoned that Inua-Abasi village which is the most devastated area and even the primary cause for the advocacy campaign carried out in 2008 was grossly under-estimated   for N600 million only, while the same reclamation project in Kurutie communities in Gbaramantu clan, Warri South-West, Delta State, was awarded for N1.8 billion.

"It is on this note that we strongly wish to appeal to the Federal Government that in order to urgently save the lives and properties of the Niger Delta people in Effiat community, the sand filling project should commence from Inua-Abasi village as this will save the community from extinction before the year 2011", the statement said.

The youths also pointed out that Mbo is the number one oil producing council in Akwa Ibom State comprising of five distinct but unified clans which are Ebughu, Effiat, Enwang, Uda and Udesi and also host to seven oil companies (five offshore and two onshore) - Addax Dev Pet, Exxonmobil Nig Unlimited, Total E&P, Moni-Pulo Nig Limited, Afren/Oriental Energy Resources, Universal Energy Resources & Centrica Energy Resources.