Obio Ibiet Esa, in Oruk Anam LGA, Akwa Ibom State has showcased its agricultural endowment in order to attract investments
At the village town hall on Saturday, family heads, youth leaders and other members of the community who converged, told our correspondent that, having put all the appropriate leadership machineries in place and recreating a new mind-set for community development,, it became imperative for the community to woo the Akwa Ibom State Government and investors to take advantage of the massive arable land in community for different investments.
As a step towards launching out and wooing the government and investors interested in agriculture, the community’s selling point, the leaders said one of such was that all members of the community had agreed to explore the reach of the media and other channels to call on the governor of the state, Pastor Umo Eno, to seize opportunities to develop agriculture in the area, being number one in his ARISE Agenda for the state.
The family head of Nung Akpan Udoudo, one of the families that makes up the community, Chief Uduak Monday Akpan, said the people took the initiative of inviting governor Umo Eno and both foreign and local investors to the community’s massive arable land for agriculture for investments as what they could contribute to solving the current food crisis in Nigeria.
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Chief Akpan believed that any investment in the area would not only align with the state government’s policy on food availability and affordability, as well as cushion the current hunger all over Nigeria, but would also engage the youths whom he said are predominantly farmers.
“ What we are trying to do is to tell the whole world that we are ready to partner the Akwa Ibom State Government and investors to invest in our village. We realised that keeping quiet when we are blessed with massive arable land that is good for agriculture will not bring us any investment or development. Therefore, we are calling on Governor Umo Eno to come to our community and invest in our land.
“ We know that one of the things government and potential investors consider before investing in an area is security. Here in Obio Ibiet Esa Community, we are the security. Whatever we agree to protect remains protected. What has even emboldened us to invite government and investors to our community is the level of confidence in our security architecture”.
Another family head, Chief Emem David Essien, explained that their call for investments in agriculture in the community was due to the fact that the community had realised that it could produce palm oil and garri in commercial scale that can feed the entire state and beyond, but could only do that with support and investment from government and investors.
The family head said, while other youths were seeking for white collar jobs, Obio Ibiet Esa youths were instead seeking for ways to engage in large scale agricultural practices, a development he urged government to leverage on and reduce hunger and the high rate of unemployment in the state.
Baring his mind on the expected collaboration with the government and prospective investors, the family head of Nung Akpan Umoh, Chief Udeme Okon Akpan, said the recent recreation and reordering of everything in the community, including the leadership of families and youths had buttressed their seriousness and determination to accept any genuine investor in the area.
Chief Udeme Akpan, therefore, urged the state government, particularly, not to ignore this call, as many communities, he believed, would never offer to partner government when their land is involved.
The family head also called on Governor Umo Eno to extend his Compassionate Housing Programme to the community to restore hope to the people and give them a sense of belonging in the current administration.
The community had earlier disclosed that effective January 1, 2025, the village would stop everyone from harvesting palm fruits in the area for a certain period. This, it said, was part of moves to raise money for the engagement of some youths of the community in vocational, agricultural and other meaningful training programmes, to upscale their skills in agriculture and in other areas.
Obio Ibiet Esa, a community that prides itself as “ the cradle of befitting living in Africa”, an existential-oriented philanthropy, is estimated to have a population of over 1, 300, with over 80 per cent as farmers.
