…“Governor Umo Eno has scammed us,” Ikono youths cry out over missing equipment
…Equipment allegedly moved from one LGA to another to create a “fully equipped” centre for commissioning
Barely days after the Akwa Ibom State Government commissioned an ARISE Youth Development Center in Ikono Local Government Area, questions are being raised over the whereabouts of the computers, chairs and other equipment displayed at the facility during the commissioning.
A video and pictures now circulating shows the center apparently stripped of the equipment that featured prominently during its commissioning, leaving what appears to be largely empty rooms. A truck without a visible number plate is also seen within the premises. The development has triggered concerns over whether the facility was actually delivered as an operational youth development center or whether the equipment displayed during the commissioning was subsequently removed.
The center was commissioned on Friday, September 4, 2026, as part of activities marking Akwa Ibom State’s 39th anniversary. It was presented by the government as a major investment in youth development, with facilities intended to support skills acquisition, digital training, entrepreneurship and capacity development. At the ceremony, the government said the center was established to equip young people with practical skills and competencies that would make them self-reliant and productive.
Governor Umo Eno, represented by the state APC Chairman, Obong Stephen Ntukekpo, said youth development must go beyond conventional academic education to include vocational and practical skills, digital competencies and entrepreneurship. He said the initiative formed part of the human-capital development component of the administration’s ARISE Agenda.
Commissioner for Youth Development, Dr. Ekerette Ekanem, described the center as a practical demonstration of the administration’s commitment to youth development and human-capital investment. He also stated that the facility was designed as a hub where young people could acquire practical skills and develop entrepreneurial capacity, adding that the state had trained more than 4,000 youths in various skills.
According to the commissioner, the centers are equipped with solar power, internet connectivity and indoor games facilities, alongside other provisions for learning, innovation and youth engagement. The government has further presented the centers as gateways to practical and digital opportunities, including graphic design, photography, film making, software development, digital marketing and other skills capable of leading to employment, self-employment and enterprise.
But the situation now being reported in Ikono raises a fundamental question: where are the equipment meant to make the center serve the youths for whom it was built?
Information reaching this medium alleges that the equipment displayed at the center for the commissioning was removed shortly afterwards and taken to another location, where it could allegedly be used to create a similar appearance of a fully equipped facility ahead of another commissioning. The allegation has not been independently established by this medium. However, the video showing the apparently empty facility makes the matter one that cannot simply be ignored.
If the equipment was removed for legitimate administrative, logistical or operational reasons, the Ministry of Youth Development should explain what happened, identify where the equipment is currently located and state when it will be returned to the Ikono center. If equipment procured or allocated for the center was instead moved elsewhere to give the impression that another facility was fully equipped, that would raise serious questions about the handling of public resources and the integrity of the commissioning process.
The authorities should also explain the presence of the truck without a visible number plate seen in the video at the facility. The issue goes beyond the chairs and computers. It concerns the credibility of a government program publicly presented as a major intervention for thousands of young people across Akwa Ibom. Young people in Ikono were not promised an empty building. They were promised a center where they could acquire practical, digital and entrepreneurial skills capable of improving their livelihoods.
The relevant authorities therefore owe the public clear answers: What equipment was procured for the Ikono center? Where is it now? Who authorized its removal? For what purpose? And when will the facility be fully operational. If there is nothing improper about the removal, the explanation should be straightforward. If there has been any unauthorized removal, diversion or misuse of public equipment, those responsible should be investigated. A commissioning ceremony may mark the completion of a project on paper, but it does not by itself deliver empowerment.
