The Nation
28 Feb 2011
Host communities of the New Oil Town Project in Eket and Esit Eket local governments of
The project was designed for Iko Otu, Eket, but the villagers said they had uncovered a plan to move it to another location.
Hundreds of placard-carrying youths, elders and women marched on the palace of the traditional ruler of Idung Udo community in Eket.
They alleged that officials of the Ministry of Lands were working with the Federal Ministry of Lands “to make unfavourable recommendations to the Ministry of Niger Delta to relocate the project for personal gains”.
The protesters delivered a petition through the Village Head , Chief John Udoette to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Addressing the protesters, the Chairman, Eket Community Development Foundation (FCDF), Ephraim Enembong, hailed their peaceful conduct .
He said: “I can understand how you feel after anticipating the take-off of this project only to hear that the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is contemplating taking the project away.
“Your resort to civilised option of a peaceful protest and complaints in writing to the President is highly commendable and I am hopeful that there will be an intervention shortly.”
A community leader in Esit Eket, Elder Udo Anwan, urged the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to retain the original site to avoid conflict among communities.
He said: “My people are angry because the ministry came, asked for land and the communities volunteered and gave the land in Iko Otu for the siting of the project.
“They came in, went through the massive land area covering over 300 hectares of land , farm crops, shrines and artefacts were destroyed in the process of surveying the entire land, but unfortunately we have just been told the same ministry has relocated this project.
“This is really trying to cause some friction between two communities in Niger Delta, something that the present government is trying to avoid and so our appeal is that the President should come in and intervene immediately.”
Udoette assured the protesters that their petition would be forwarded to Governor Godswill Akpabio for onward delivery to the President.
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