Media practitioners from Eket extraction in Akwa Ibom State operating under the platform of Eket Federal Constituency Media Professionals have made a passionate appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR to site the newly approved Federal University of Science and Technology for Akwa Ibom State in Eket.
In an open letter endorsed by Comrade Jerry Edoho, Chairman, and Comrade Mfon Bassey Secretary General, and addressed to the President on why the proposed Federal University should be sited in their domain, the group said Eket Federal Constituency is the only senatorial headquarters with no federal or state-owned tertiary institution.
According to the group, “We find it expedient to state categorically that this new federal institution should be sited in any of the four local government areas of Eket/Esit Eket/Ibeno/Onna Local Government Area, the core communities from where over 40 percent of oil reserves of the country is explored and exploited.
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“Mr President, it may interest you to note that for over five decades, the people of these communities are the most peaceful and accommodating oil producing areas in the country, but have not been privileged to have any semblance of a federal presence, despite their huge contributions to the federal revenue of the country”.
The group further highlighted, “Mr President, you will be shocked to note that despite Eket Federal Constituency being the largest producers of crude oil, monetized in various fronts and processed to develop our country, it is left without any federal attention, poor roads, no federal oil and gas related agency, nothing from the Federal Government to convincingly bolster the hope of indigenes, whose air and waters are polluted, and are facing threatening hazards from degradations caused by oil exploration and exploitations.
However, according the media group, despite the gross marginalization and exploitation, the people of this constituency still maintain peaceful coexistence, supporting the Federal Government to realize set goals in other places from the proceeds of her natural resources.
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Throwing more light, the group said, “Beyond the aforementioned considerations, it would be worthy of note that in Eket Senatorial District, the other two federal constituencies, Ikot Abasi and Oron have already been blessed with tertiary institutions, the Akwa Ibom State University in Mkpat Enin, Ikot Abasi federal constituency, and the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron.
“It is worthy of note that in Eket Federal Constituency, schools like Government Secondary School, Afaha Eket in Eket Local Government Area, Senior Science School, Ndon Eyo in ONNA Local Government, National High School, Etebi in Esit Eket, are among several schools built to standard with sophisticated university structures. Any of these schools could easily be converted for the purpose, with the facilities only expanded to accommodate all the requirements of a federal institution.
“The approved four billion naira take off grant by Mr President could then go a long way in the purchase of facilities for start-up modules in approved disciplines in the institution and not necessarily for structures”.
