Uruan Again: Indigenes move against Paramount Ruler

 

BY EMMANUEL AKPAN

The people of Ituk Mbang village in Uruan Local Government Area on Wednesday protested over what they described as high level of marginalization and impunity ruling by the Village Head and Paramount Ruler of area, His Royal Majesty, Edidem (Dr.) Effiong Bassey Asuquo Ekanem.

The people who took to the streets with placards inscriptions “Metikon & Co. stay away from Ituk Mbang matters, CLO means Community Liaison Officer and not Paramount Ruler Officer, CLO slot at Hammakop is Ituk Mbang slot this time, Metikon and Co. you lacks jurisdiction on Ituk Oil Prospect, Ituk Mbang youths say enough is enough for one family (Nnug Asuquo) government, Monopoly Ltd Liaise with the appointed CLO from our community, Ituk Mbang Youths say no to Impunity and You can’t impose a youth leader on us.”

Expressing their grievances to THE INK reporter at Ituk Mbang market, the people said sometimes in April, 2012, their land comprising of three communities namely; Ikot Anung, Ikot Ese and Ituk Mbang Atai was acquired by Hammakop Consortium Limited for the company to be sited. The youths in a seven-points petition made available to THE INK  said Ikot Anung community had taken their turn to produce a Community Liaison Officer (CLO) which was represented by one Mr. Joel Victor Effiong, and that at the expiration of the one year tenure, Ikot Ese took their own turn represented by Kingsley Idiongette.

THE INK gathered from the petition that at the expiration of the said Ikot Ese turn on the 31st March, 2015, the youth council on the 18th April, 2015 had unanimously appointed Mr. Godwin Augustine Asuguo and forwarded the name for appointment as well as confirmation, but it was gathered that the company, Hammakop Consortium Limited instead of implementing the initial agreement, collaborated with one Okon Edet Ndem and form a factional panel whose main objective is to ensure the emergence of the same Okon Edet Ndem as the next CLO from the community which the entire village of Ituk Mbang Atai has kicked against in totality.

The youths while narrating that on the 17th May 2015 a certain panel meeting took place where their representatives had indicated interest of attending but to their surprise, their representatives were embarrassed, humiliated and barred from attending the said meeting, a development they maintained was a move and plot by the Paramount Ruler who is the Nsom of Uruan, His Royal Majesty, Edidem (Dr.) Effiong Bassey Asuquo Ekanem to rob the youths mandate to Mr. Godwin Augustine Asuquo who is the most popular choice from the community.

They described the move and plan by the panel and biased even as they expressed gross disapproval of the panel’s report and however vowed to resist should the panel ill will eventually come to pass.

Also addressing the crowd of protesters, Mr. John Inyang Edem accused the Paramount Ruler of being the cause of lack of peace in the entire community of Ituk Mbang. He noted that the Uruan monarch had single handedly setup a panel headed by one Mr. Ekanem popularly known as (Uyio Uruan) and Mr. Etitim Okon, popularly known as (Metikon) as secretary to imposed somebody on them, using the police to forced elders of the community to signed and endorsed a person known as Okon Edet Ndem as CLO from the community to the company last week.

According to Mr. John Inyang Edem “Our Paramount Ruler had recently imposed a youth leader on us by name Asuquo Edet Akpan which we kicked against. Also trying to impose CLO to the new coming, Monopoly Oil Company. Our Paramount Ruler is used to pocketing all consultations from any company that comes in to our community. Everything that comes in to this village goes to him alone and his family without telling family. So we the youths have kicked against. We want everything to be open that is why we are protesting with placards. He is not running a transparent government.” He noted.

Also speaking, Mr. Ubong Okon said the village has not witnessed peace in recent time due to the lingering crisis that has rocked youth leadership because of the a certain person that was imposed on them by the Paramount Ruler as well as the CLO for Monopoly Oil Company and Hammakop Consortium Limited. Okon noted that the imposed person will never be accepted by the community, adding that they nominated their representatives for the positions in the persons of Godwin Asuquo to Hammakop and Kingsley Bassey to Monopoly Oil Company. In his words “The said Okon Edet Ndem is a cousin to the Paramount Ruler. This issue has been a dragging issue from March till now. The issue of youth leadership is still in this protest. Can you imagine a Paramount Ruler to sit down on his own to appoint a youth leader without the consent from the community that has many intelligent people? We are protesting to say no to one family government.” He called on the local and state governments to come to the aid of the community by calling the Paramount Ruler to order, as the situation is getting out of hand as well as find a last solution. While the preferred CLO, Mr. Godwin Augustine Asuquo in a chat with THE INK said the protest was a notice to the local Government, Akwa Ibom State Government, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly as well as the security agencies.

He further stressed the need for the Paramount Ruler to stay away from youth matters. “It is the time for Ituk Mbak Atai to produce the CLO to the company. And also talking about youth leadership, election should be conducted in a free and fair manner and not for anybody to me imposed a leader on us.”

However, the youths under the umbrella of Ituk Mbang Youth Council and Ekpuk Ituk Mbang Atai have petitioned, Uruan Local Government Council and Human Rights Youth for Justice and Development.

Efforts to speak with the Uruan Monarch did not yield results as security operatives denied our reporter entry into the Palace.