Nigerian Tribune: Akwa Ibom community faces extinction

 

Despite the averred transformation by the present administration in Akwa Ibom State, some communities are still void of government presence and getting fast extinct from the surface of the earth. Mkpeti Itam in Itu Local Government of Akwa Ibom State is one of such communities. Udeme Utip writes from Uyo.

MKPETI Itam, a community in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, about 15 kilometres from Uyo, the capital city, is on the verge of going extinct from the surface of the earth as no government’s impact is felt in the community even as all life-touching projects awarded either by the Federal Government or NDDC have been abandoned.

Situated between Enen Atai Community and Mbak Atai, the headquarters of Itu Local Government, Mkpeti Itam can best be described as occupying mainly the peculiar difficult terrain of Itu area which is largely hills and valleys.

Construction of road or citing of any meaningful project in that area has been a difficult task because of lack of accessibility to the area.

This community lacks market, primary health care centre or school as children of school ages; even the very young ones daily travel about four kilometres on foot to attain formal education at the PCN Primary School East, Itam and those in secondary schools travel a longer distance to either Ntiat/Mbak Secondary School or East Itam Comprehensive Secondary School.

The condition the community finds itself brings untold hardship to the villagers. Apart from those who grew up outside the community and those who were able to migrate to cities within and outside the state, an average Mkpeti indigene, which dwells in the village, lives far below poverty level.

Their occupations are predominantly subsistent farming and palm wine tapping. Because of long distance trek to the farm, market and other areas, young people get old prematurely both in their minds and looks.

The people of this community are crying out for help from the Federal, Akwa Ibom  and Local Governments and, according to them, the development policy of the present government should, at least, rub off on their community.
Some of the villagers, who spoke to InsideNigerDelta , recalled that the state Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, had promised to construct a road from Mbak with a bridge through the community to Enen Atai and other neighboring communities.

InsideNigerDelta also recalls that a contract was awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to a construction company to construct a five-kilometre road with a bridge across the community, but since the commissioning, the project has been abandoned and the company has disappeared, leaving only obsolete equipment.

A native of the community, Mr Abasi Adumo, who spoke to InsideNigerDelta on the level of decay in the community, decried what they were passing through, saying that the community was completely cut off from the development strides of the present government.

“There is free and compulsory education policy in the state; we don’t have a school, free medical care for children and the aged; we don’t have a hospital. So, you can see that we are completely cut off. No road, no market. If I tell you that I have never travelled on this bike to my village, you will not believe me. Since I was born 40 years ago, I have never seen a car drive into my village” the young man, who is a commercial motor cyclist, lamented.

When  InsideNigerDelta visited the community, it was observed that even the access road, through Enen Atai community, was overgrown with thick forest leaving just a foot path.

Culled from Nigerian Tribune