The socio-cultural organisation, Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio (MMI) has expressed concern over the alleged uneven distribution of employment opportunities facilitated for Akwa Ibom indigenes in the nation’s oil and gas sector by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Ekperikpe Ekpo.
Key Highlights
- Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio (MMI) has raised concerns over the alleged uneven distribution of federal employment opportunities to Akwa Ibom indigenes.
- The group reacted to claims that 34 employment slots were secured through the office of Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Ekperikpe Ekpo.
- According to the publication, 30 beneficiaries allegedly came from Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District, while the other two districts received only two slots each.
- MMI questioned why opportunities meant for the entire state appeared concentrated in the minister’s senatorial district.
- The organisation called for fairness, transparency and equitable representation across all three senatorial districts.
In a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Idongesit Ikono, the group reacted to a publication purportedly detailing 34 employment slots secured for Akwa Ibom State indigenes in agencies under the minister’s supervision.
According to the publication, 30 of the beneficiaries were allegedly drawn from Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District, while the remaining two senatorial districts received only two slots each.
The group acknowledged the importance of securing employment opportunities for citizens of the state but questioned what it described as the apparent concentration of beneficiaries from the minister’s senatorial district.
It noted that the minister occupies the position on behalf of the entire state and not solely as a representative of Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District.
Also, it argued that opportunities facilitated through such an office should reflect fairness, inclusiveness and equitable representation across the three senatorial districts and various communities of the state.
According to the organisation, if the claims contained in the publication are accurate, the development would set an unhealthy precedent for public administration and equitable representation.
Read also:
- Police Intensify Illegal Firearm Proliferation Crackdown In Akwa Ibom, Arrest Cultist
- Akwa Ibom Bans Use of Ambulances for Conveying Corpses, Violators Risk Impoundment
The group warned that concentrating public opportunities within a particular district could encourage a culture in which political office holders prioritise their immediate constituencies over the broader interests of the state, thereby undermining principles of fairness and inclusiveness.
The body called on the minister to provide clarification on the circumstances surrounding the publication and disclose the criteria used in selecting the beneficiaries.
It also urged political office holders from Akwa Ibom to place the collective interest of the state above senatorial, local government, community or political considerations.
Reaffirming its commitment to equity and justice, the group maintained that every Akwa Ibom State indigene, regardless of senatorial district, local government area, political affiliation or community, deserves equal access to opportunities arising from government programmes and interventions.
The organisation further condemned any proven act of discrimination or preferential treatment in the allocation of public benefits and called on stakeholders to promote fairness, transparency and inclusiveness in the distribution of opportunities across the state.
“Akwa Ibom belongs to all of us, and public opportunities should be administered in a manner that reflects fairness, transparency and equal representation,” the statement added.
