A’Ibom community leaders demand EMOIMEE fund probe
Tension is mounting in Esit Eket Local Government Area as leaders of thought, traditional rulers, political leaders, women, youths, and community stakeholders convened at the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Esit Eket, His Royal Majesty Edidem Ubong Peter Assam II, in Akpautong Village.
They issued a stern seven-day ultimatum to representatives of Esit Eket in the Seplat/NNPC JV EMOIMEE Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) to account for the management of community funds, scholarships and empowerment programmes over the past four years.
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Joseph Atainyang
Tension is mounting in Esit Eket Local Government Area as leaders of thought, traditional rulers, political leaders, women, youths, and community stakeholders convened at the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Esit Eket, His Royal Majesty Edidem Ubong Peter Assam II, in Akpautong Village.
They issued a stern seven-day ultimatum to representatives of Esit Eket in the Seplat/NNPC JV EMOIMEE Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) to account for the management of community funds, scholarships and empowerment programmes over the past four years.
The high-level meeting, attended by hundreds of indigenes and presided over by the traditional institution, reinforced the position earlier adopted by the Esit Eket Traditional Rulers Council on 7 January 2026, which accused the affected representatives, r Bassey Dan-Abia Jr, Imaobong Inyang, Emmanuel Akpaekong and Unwana Evans, of neglecting their duties, refusing to consult stakeholders, and repeatedly ignoring summons to render financial statements.
Setting the tone for the gathering, former member of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Eseme Eyiboh, said the meeting was convened by leaders of thought to “interrogate development governance in the management of Esit Eket Seplat/NNPC JV Host Community Trust Fund”, lamenting what he described as the shameful underdevelopment of an oil-rich community.
“In the whole of Esit Eket, there is no ATM or bank. Bank presence is one of the signs of modern development,” Eyiboh said.
He also decried the prolonged power outage in the area, revealing that Esit Eket had been without electricity for more than 12 years and that he personally funded the electricity supply from October 2022 to April 2023.
Eyiboh questioned why such a critical responsibility had not been undertaken by the EMOIMEE structure, which he said was specifically established and funded for community development.
He stressed that leaders of thought, opinion leaders and stakeholders had aligned with the recent position of the royal fathers, insisting that anyone representing Esit Eket in any public or corporate structure “must be prepared for accountability or vacate the office”.
Former Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Bassey Essien, warned against attempts to divert collective community benefits for personal gain.
“There is no community so blessed in this state as Esit Eket. We cannot fold our hands and watch while some people come to steal what God has given to everybody,” he said.
Essien also questioned the transparency of scholarship and empowerment schemes allegedly executed by the EMOIMEE representatives and demanded the publication of all scholarship beneficiaries across Esit Eket wards.
Former Commissioner for Education, Dr Ini Adiakpan, backed the call for accountability, describing it as overdue.
Across the three zones of Esit Eket, speakers unanimously supported the demand for transparency. Solomon Nse, Youth President of Ekpene Obo, said the action of the royal fathers was justified because “everyone has a right in the PIA”.
Other stakeholders, including Obonganwan Nkoyo Uyongnkpo, Chief Udo Thompson Onwong, Lady Helen Okon Tom, Mr Anietie Essien and Obonganwan Evelyn Friday Akpe, also backed immediate action.
Speaking on behalf of the traditional rulers, His Highness Sunday Unyongmkpo, Village Head of Edo, declared that the era of silence was over and emphasised the absolute need for accountability.
A retired director in the Federal Ministry of Housing and Environment, Engineer Uri Idiyang, also endorsed the resolutions, saying there was nothing wrong in demanding that community representatives prove their integrity through proper accountability.
By unanimous voice vote, the meeting demanded full disclosure of all beneficiaries of scholarships, empowerment schemes and related programmes allegedly carried out under the EMOIMEE HCDT in Esit Eket.
Stakeholders handed the representatives a seven-day ultimatum to render financial statements publicly and directed the traditional institution to summon them within that period.
They further resolved that failure to comply would attract traditional sanctions, including the withdrawal of all rights and recognition accorded to them as Esit Eket representatives in EMOIMEE.
The meeting also mandated leaders of thought to compile all available financial records for submission to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for possible criminal investigation and prosecution.
Participants additionally called for the immediate freezing of the Esit Eket EMOIMEE account to prevent what they described as the continued diversion of community resources for private use.
Saturday’s resolutions came months after the 7 January meeting of the Traditional Rulers Council, which had already resolved to appoint a private auditor to investigate the EMOIMEE account and urged Seplat Energy to suspend further payments into the Esit Eket account pending the outcome.
The Paramount Ruler declared that all decisions reached at the meeting were binding and would be implemented without delay, signalling what observers described as the start of a major accountability battle in Esit Eket.
