Eneh John
In what may be an expose on the dirty deals of Architect Ime Ekpo, the Commissioner for Lands and Town planning in Akwa Ibom State, which also played a part in the protest staged by the youths of Obio Etoi at the Akwa Ibom international stadium on Wednesday, October 4, 2017, Trail Reporters investigation reveals that, in 2011, the Commissioner, who was then a Permanent Secretary, and was in charge of payment of compensation for buildings demolished around the stadium, had shortchanged lots of persons.
We gathered that, a 72 year old man named Effiong Dan with five bed room flat behind Redemption Academy was under paid with N500,000 and after all the deductions, he was given N430,000.
Houses which were valued at ten million Naira were paid with peanuts, as the villagers groaned in pains despite a protest letter which was sent to the Akwa Ibom State Government on the alleged shortchange, they promised to look into it and till now nothing since 2011.
In a meeting held last week at the instance of the Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Akan Okon, in his office, which was attended by the Commissioners for Information and Lands, the Commissioner for Lands, Ime Ekpo was quoted as saying, that the late village head of Obio Etoi, was always giving them trouble by beating them with staff.
Ime Ekpo we further gathered, had queried the rationale at which Obio etoi youths had protested when four villages are involved in the hosting of the stadium and Obio offot is the biggest in all.
While seven persons were invited for the meeting from Obio Etoi, the other three villages came with a crowd to outdo the etoi people, as the Commissioner for lands who have previously alleged a slight from the people has expressed his anger on them.
Findings shows that, youths of the community had protested abandonment by the state government, with the community mostly flooded during rainy hours, coupled with bad roads, which have made it vulnerable to armed robbery attacks in the area. Aggrieved villagers who spoke with Trail Reporters lamented the activities of the Commissioner as worrisome.
Efforts to speak with the Commissioner for Lands were not successful, at the time of this report.
