A socio-political organisation, Mkpat Enin Unity Network has called on the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio to intervene on the neglect of Mkpat Enin LGA by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The call contained a statement tagged: ‘AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MD/CEO, NIGER DELTA DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION, DR. SAMUEL OGBOKU, FROM MKPAT ENIN UNITY NETWORK, A SOCIAL-POLITIC ORGANIZATION IN MKPAT ENIN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA‘, and made available to Tribune in Uyo on Sunday.
The statement which is jointly signed by the National Co-coordinator, Mr Akpabio Ufot-Akpabio, and the National Secretary, Barr. Ebeute Ebeute, the Chapter Co-coordinator, Mr Joe Akpan, Director Of Public Affairs& Media, Mr Mbal Udoinyang respectively, noted with dismay that despite the fact that oil was discovered in the community in 1952, Mkpat Enin still remains a “shadow of itself” with no infrastructural signature by the NDDC.
“We hereby bring to the notice of the commission the years of deliberate neglect and abandonment meted out to Mkpat Enin people by successive administrations of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in the area of road infrastructure development which has hampered movement of goods and services within and outside the local government area.
“It is an unfortunate reality that since the establishment of NDDC in 2009, Mkpat Enin local government area, an oil-bearing/producing community in Nigeria and Akwa Ibom in particular, and reputed for being the first local government area in the country where oil was discovered in 1952, has never benefited from any form of major road intervention project by the Commission.
“This development, from all intent and purpose is very unfortunate and painful to all Mkpat Enin indigenes especially when considering the devasting impact of oil drilling on our farmland and the corrosive effects on our homes not to mention the enormous loss of aquatic life.”
The statement said: “More pathetic and regrettable is the fact that Mkpat Enin local government area has never benefited from the Ecological Fund in whatever guise since the inception of the commission twenty-four years ago.
“We are therefore appealing to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, HE. Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Senate President of the Nigerian Federation, HE Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio and Member, Representing Eket Senatorial District, Sen. Ekong Sampson, PhD, to intervene and make inquest into why Mkpat Enin local government area is neglected by successive NDDC boards despite being major contributor to the economic wellbeing of the Nigerian Federation as an Oil Being Community(OBC) in Akwa Ibom”.
The group which pleaded with FG’s intervention, mentioned that NDDC should commence Construction of inter and intra-city roads/bridges in Mkpat Enin LGA and complete teaching hospital project which was awarded by the commission but abandoned by the contractor and currently looking moribund.
They noted that despite the obvious anomalies on the part of the Commission, the community has remained peaceful and supportive of the Commission’s programmes and activities but threatened to embark on mass protest if nothing was done about their concerns raised.
“But it appears our patience is being pushed to the wall by the commission’s deliberate policies of ‘divide and rule which seems to place some communities on a vantage position while others languish as perpetual dross.
“These policies of dereliction adopted by the commission against Mkpat local government area have dragged our patience to the limit and we are here appealing to the commission and Nigerian leaders that Mkpat Enin people are suffocating in the ambit of NDDC culture of neglect and this is no longer acceptable.
“We are traumatized and subjected to a heat-oppressed condition. Other local government areas such as Eket, Esit Eket, Nsit Ubium, Ibeno, Ikot Abasi, ONNA, Itu, Uyo, Ibiono, and many others have had several kilometres of inter/intra roads completely tarred while Mkpat Enin has remained the proverbial mother bird feigning for her chicks with empty stomach.
“We are also appealing to the NDDC board to probe itself on the issues raised by rising above biases and deliberate policies of abandonment meted out to Mkpat Enin people since the establishment of the commission in 2009.
“Before the aggrieved people of Mkpat Enin local government area embark on mass protest as the last resort to demand for their right, which we feel will not augur well for the image of the commission, we earnestly appeal to you to use your good offices for responsive intervention that will save the reputation of the commission and our dear country, Nigeria,” the statement added.
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