A frontline socio-political group in Akwa Ibom State, the Ibibio Vanguard, has commended former lawmaker and diplomat, Sen. Ita Enang, for his recent public censure of local government chairmen in the state over their dismal performance in office.
The commendation follows a viral video showing Sen. Enang confronting the Chairman of Itu Local Government Area, Hon. Ubong Nkutt, over the deplorable state of roads in his council area, questioning the lack of tangible development despite the recent surge in federal allocations to local governments nationwide.
In the viral video, Sen. Enang expressed disappointment over what he described as misplaced priorities by local administration officials.
“Since he became the chairman, the first thing he could do is get land from the village, fence it and start building a house that he will live in. Where is the access road that he will use to his house? This is too shameful,” Enang lamented.
Reacting to the development in a statement released in Uyo, the Ibibio Vanguard, through its National Secretary, Comrade Silas Udom, praised Enang for demonstrating statesmanship and speaking truth to power without partisan sentiment.
“Senator Ita Enang has demonstrated courage and true statesmanship by publicly confronting the reality of governance failure at the local government level,” Udom stated. “What he did in Itu is a necessary wake-up call, and it represents the voice of millions of voiceless Akwa Ibom people who are frustrated by the lack of visible development in their communities.”
Udom expressed deep concern over the disconnect between the substantial financial resources currently accruing to local council tiers and the poor living conditions of rural dwellers across Akwa Ibom State.
“It is deeply disheartening that despite the unprecedented increase in federal allocations directly reaching local government councils today, our people at the grassroots are still starved of basic amenities like accessible roads, functional health centers, and clean water,” Udom said.
“Local government autonomy and increased funds were secured to bring real development closer to the rural population, not to finance the personal luxury and private building projects of council chairmen.”
Calling on other elders, political leaders, and community stakeholders across the state to break their silence, the Ibibio Vanguard secretary noted that public scrutiny from high-profile personalities remains the most effective tool to compel elected officers to deliver on their mandates.
“Critiques from high-profile leaders like Senator Enang carry weight; they command immediate public attention and force officials out of their complacency. We strongly urge other prominent stakeholders, community leaders, and elders across the three senatorial districts to emulate this bold step and hold their respective local government chairmen accountable,” Udom added.
He warned that the group would step up its monitoring mechanisms across all 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State to ensure that public funds are utilized strictly for community development.
“Ibibio Vanguard will no longer sit back and watch local government administration turned into a conduit for personal enrichment. We will continue to track council expenditures, monitor projects, and expose non-performance wherever it exists in Akwa Ibom State,” he concluded
