Israel Umoh
The journey to one of the remarkable yet neglected villages in Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State was joyous and lamentable.
On a cloudy Monday morning, December 22, I zoomed off from my Uyo residence to Ikot Anta Eneng Ibom to share with kinsmen the joy of the festive season. Of course, there is no way you can get to the village coming from Uyo through Abak-Ikot Uboh-Ikot Akpa Nkuk Road without veering off through Ikot Ide or Ikot Obiokpoho, which is proximate to Ikot Anta.
As I reached Ikot Akpa Ntuen, I became unsettled because a few meters ahead, I would leave the macadamised road to ply the bumpy but dusty road to Ikot Anta.
But then, I decided to stop and enquire from three persons who were about to process palm oil. “Good afternoon all. How are you doing?” They quickly responded “We are fine.” Furthermore, I asked them. “Has Governor Umo Eno constructed the spur in Ikot Obiokpoho in memory of Arch Bishop Moswill Umoh?” They chorused “No oo!!” Their faces wore frustration. This stroked me like electricity shock.
I recalled that in September 2023, during the funeral service in honour of Arch Bishop Umoh, founder of Rapture Trust Ministries and Chairman of Fathers of Faith, Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District at Government Primary School, Ikot Obiokpoho, the Governor attended the ceremony. Without compulsion, he pledged to construct a spur passing through the route from Archbishop Umoh, the televangelist to Ikot Uko- Ikot Ide to terminate at Ikot Edet in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area. The Governor further pledged to appoint the son of Arch Bishop Umoh, Ekponobong as his Special Assistant.
After one year, the member representing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Unyime Idem reminded the governor during the Town Hall meeting at Ikot Akpa Nkuk about the case of Ekponobong. The Governor readily appointed the young man as his Special Assistant on Education Monitoring with effect from June 1, 2023 and formalized on April 30, 2025, but is yet to fulfill the construction of the spur.
Regardless of a shorter route to Ikot Anta, I decided to snake through the bushy but rickety spur, diverting to Ikot Edet. During the rainy season, the spur turns to a pool of water and habitat of amphibians with its both sides struggling with outgrown weeds. The dry season saved me the trouble of splashing water on passersby. Even some passersby almost rained abuses on me as my car raised dust from the spur to the anger of some villagers on the bumpy spur.
Unfortunately, the Governor’s pledge was not captured by any of his aides. No one is there to remind the Governor who might have forgotten about it. Early this year, the Governor presented a budget proposal of N1.39 trillion for 2026 financial year for consideration and passage into law by members of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. A cursory look at the budget, which is still pending panel beating into law, does not include the spur pledged by the Governor two years ago.
Cruising through Ikot Edet Road, I sauntered to the age-long but deplorable Nto Unang-Ikot Edet-Ikot Anta Eneng Obom-Nkek-Ikot Udobia-Ikot Udo Obobo-Ekeffe Road. Before I was born, the road, a regular in every year’s budget in the defunct South Eastern State, was prioritized by the government. The government ensured the road was maintained, but in defunct Cross River budget, construction was lacking, though politicians and policy analysts were satisfied with its appearance in year-long budgets. Luckily, Use Ikot Amama, which traverses through Ibiono Ibom, was removed from the list of “promise and fail roads” and today it stands as a king Trebor among the redeemed.
As I was trudging the teething road, I clutched brake regularly but carefully to avoid emptying my Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and tyres bursting. The cruise was not rosy at all. Ditches and twitches that could produce abdominal spasms envelope the road. Although the dry season had set in, Keke operators, motor cyclists and motorists drive with care to avoid falling into narrow gorges dug by “aggressive” rain water.
The afternoon ride took me to Government Primary School, Ikot Anta, which is an eyesore. The roofs and buildings in the school are in a state of dilapidation. The electric poles in the community are fallen, and the electric wires, vandalized. The only solar power in the village, provided by an in-law of the village based in the United States of America, provides water for thousands. No health centre and no police post in the thickly populated community of more than 5,000. What a predicament!
So, the afternoon ride to Ikot Anta Eneng Obom, which had served as a County Council headquarters during the colonial reign, is a backyard of under-development due to lack of projects by Federal, State and Local Government. This is the plight of a people who continue to pledge allegiance to one Nigeria and united Akwa Ibom.
