Oil-producing communities of Eket and Esit Eket Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State, under the Ekid ethnic nationality, have dismissed claims that they are opposed to development projects by the state and federal governments.
The communities said their position had been misrepresented following allegations by Governor Umo Eno that Ekid people were planning to block the proposed Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway from passing through the disputed Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve.
Speaking under the umbrella of the Ekid People’s Union (EPU), the apex socio-cultural organisation of the Eket/Esit Eket people, community leaders clarified that their concerns were centred on due process, consultation, and compensation, not opposition to development.
The EPU, led by its President-General, Samuel Udonsak, had earlier issued a caveat emptor, warning the federal and state governments and their agents against encroaching on the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve without adequate compensation to the host communities.
Clarifying the group’s stance, a former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, and Chairman of the EPU Board of TrusteesChief Nduese Essien, said the Ekid position had been misconstrued by the state government.
In a letter to Gov. Eno titled: “An Open Appeal for Reason, Justice and the Future of Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve,” and co-signed by Prince Sam Itama, the group urged the governor to abandon what it described as a hardline posture and embrace dialogue in the interest of peace.
The EPU leaders expressed deep concern over remarks allegedly made by the governor during the commissioning of a health facility at Nduo Eduo in Eket Local Government Area, which they said were hurtful to the Ekid people and their leadership.
They noted that while they had refrained from responding angrily, some political supporters had since amplified the comments, portraying Ekid people as enemies of progress.
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The union asserted that such narratives were dangerous and misleading, stressing that the Ekid people had consistently acted within the law in raising concerns over the forest reserve.
The group also decried what it described as attempts to label Ekid people as “terrorists” for questioning the routing of the proposed coastal highway through their ancestral land, warning that such language only deepens mistrust and hardens positions.
The leaders recalled that Gov. Eno had lived among the Ekid people for over 35 years, built his businesses in the area, and enjoyed overwhelming support from the community during his rise to office.
They maintained that the Ekid people had never opposed development but would continue to insist that any use of their ancestral land must follow due process, including consultation and fair compensation.
The EPU concluded by calling for an amicable, lawful, and dignified resolution of issues surrounding the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve in the interest of peace and stability in Akwa Ibom State.
