Effiat youths have called on oil companies operating in their area to engage directly with the host community, lamenting that the firms have neglected corporate social responsibilities and ignored repeated calls for dialogue.
National youth president of the Effiat Community in Mbo local government area, Okokon Asuquo Okon, popularly known as Commander Egbu Nkakad, said oil companies operating in Effiat Ikpoto had for years failed to address basic development needs, causing frustration and restiveness among the youth.
Speaking with newsmen in Uyo, Okon explained that the community had written several letters to the oil firms and the Akwa Ibom State Government between 2014 and 2022, seeking engagement on issues such as clean water, access roads, healthcare, electricity, and youth employment.
He lamented that the appeals were consistently ignored, which led to a breakdown of peace in 2023 when the youths took matters into their own hands, disrupting the operations of some oil firms in the area.
“Our goal was to compel the oil companies and the government to come to the negotiation table,” he said.
He added that peace talks later resumed after Tulcan Company agreed to meet the community’s demands and began efforts to restore normal operations.
Okon commended the intervention of the Akwa Ibom State Government under Governor Pastor Umo Eno, noting that the government deployed the commissioner for International Security and the senior special assistant to the Governor on Marine Transportation to mediate between the parties.
According to him, the dialogue process helped the government understand the community’s grievances, especially regarding the need for collaboration in securing the waterways.
However, he expressed disappointment that the amnesty earlier promised by the Akwa Ibom State Government had not yet been implemented.
The Effiat youth leader urged other oil companies, including Monipulo Development Company, Oriental Energy Resources Limited, Antan Producing Universal Energy, Conoil, Tenoil, and Amni International, to emulate Tulcan’s example by engaging directly with the host community.
Okon reaffirmed the community’s readiness to work with both the Akwa Ibom and Cross River state governments to combat piracy and ensure lasting peace across the region’s waterways.
