By Patrick Obia
Connected Development, CODE, a non-profit organization focused on the well-being of host oil-producing communities, has held a face-to-face town hall meeting with dwellers in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The meeting is aimed to hear the plights of the communities and attempt to proffer possible solutions.
Represented by Cross River State Lead of Follow The Money Movement, Etim Effanga, charged the communities to take responsibility and monitor projects situated in their domain.
He pledged CODE’s support to the communities to ensure at least a project is executed and the people feel a sense of belonging with the rest of the world.
Etim urged the communities to exercise patience while CODE go about trying to execute some of the projects in their communities.
Village Heads of Ikot Edet Nsa, Esuk Mba and Esuk Mbat on three different days visited by CODE highlighted numerous challenges plaguing their communities, ranging from lack of portable drinking water, dilapidated or no healthcare, poor security and road network among other sundry issues.
Chief Bassey Nyong Effiom, the Village Head of Ikot Edet Nsa in Akpabuyo on Wednesday, March, 1 when his council was visited said, “the majority of our children stay at home because we do not have standard primary, not even nursery school; our children trek long distances to acquire education.”
He lamented total neglect of his people by the government and representatives who come every electioneering season to canvass for votes.
“We have more than 100 villages in this community who do not have light for more than five years. We have been abandoned by the government but they do come here every election year to campaign,” he said, pleading that “if Connected Development can help renovate or build schools, water, and electricity, we will be grateful.”
Chief Edem Duke, the Village Head of Esuk Mba community in the village town hall on Thursday 2nd March 2023 noted that despite the challenges his people face if you dare to speak up, powers that be will want to silence you.
Chief Duke said the community has no modern market as the only one existing is the old slave trade market founded in 1901 by Great Duke Ephraim.
He inferred that the security network is a big threat; no Police station, Army base among others, disclosing: “if anything happens to you here, you are on your own because no security of any form.”
The royal father inferred that despite a series of writings to the local, national, and international communities have fallen on deaf ears and they have decided to cling to their fates.
Similarly, the Village Head of Esuk Mbat Efi Urua, Chief Joseph Ita on Friday 3rd March 2023 in the community town hall also dished their needs ranging from water and poor basic education among others.
Recall that CODE had trained chiefs of Host Communities in Cross River weeks ago on how to monitor and track projects in their communities.
The NGO also embarked on an inspection of abandoned projects and needs assessment in the communities for possible renovations and constructions.
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