Prior history of Eket development is traceable to the initial development of the area during the reign of late Brigadier U. J. Esuene who hailed from there and was the Military Governor of then South-Eastern State.
A typical example is the maintenance of the only airstrip — the Mobil airstrip. Of course, you could imagine a great number of people that lost their jobs when it's gone haywire.
It was recapitulated in Minister for works speech, Inyang Eyen:
“Let me say this and I will be very blunt about it. If that project (Eket Urban Renewal) was sited far away from where I come from probably I would have lost interest in it because of the behavior of the community.
“And I want to be quoted, the most difficult community to have work and construct a road in Akwa Ibom is Eket and I am from there.
“They speak from both sides of their mouths including their elders. It is the only community that will receive compensation and denied it and refuse their structures to be taken down”.
The commissioner added that “If the Eket remodel project is delayed we have not had help from the Eket people supporting the cause of government.
“Let me say this emphatically, they don’t welcome development. And I understand why that local government which is my senatorial headquarters had remained that way. There is no dualized road, it is still in the stage that late Brigadier U.J. Esuene left it that we came to meet", the Commissioner stressed.
His emphasis was on one of the cardinal assignments given to him by the Governor, Udom Emmanuel on the assumption of office in 2015 was to open up the local government areas for development. Though, it was all good in theory, perhaps.
Across the 31 local governments of Akwa Ibom, the administration was to make virtually conscious efforts to impact.
In some of the local governments, there was no government presence in terms of road projects. Some of the local governments had no road constructed since its creation. Even the so-called oil city (Eket) good motorable road network was nothing to write home about; the entire express roads running through Nsit-Ubium, Okon Eket, Ata-oblong, down to Ibeno road —Ede-Ebook and Esit-Urua major drives to Qua Iboe Terminal (Q.I.T.) was terrible.
But now, another airplane looms in the sky as the story has begun to change ever since Hon. Akaninyene Tommey Ikott emerged as the new Chairman of Eket L.G.A.
Amazingly, this development kicked off before his first 100 days. Amazingly, major internal road reconstruction and expansions are ongoing. Though road construction is spread and not restricted to any senatorial district as in the last administration.
I think it's quite deserving for Eket indigenes and Eket as a whole, people's belief of favoritism notwithstanding. Favoritism in the light of favoring one location at the expense of the other rather than doing the needful.
No doubt, it's something I think universally, Akwa Ibom people will be satisfied that in the spate of one year this governor has made conscious efforts to get the state-linked together.
The imputation that the success was due to nepotism, as some people would say, or as a political gimmick to win the hearts of Eket people could do a lot as to, in any way retard the movement of the long-awaited progress that is believed to come and stay. It should remain just a rumor of no effect.
Major reconstruction Areas:
>Eket-Oron road
>Gracebill road
>Liverpool road
>Afaha Aqua road
