The embattled Village Head of Mbioto Ekpene Ituen in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Eteidung Sam Udo Etukakpan, has denied allegations levelled against him by some members of the village council, describing the accusations as part of an alleged plot to remove him from office.
Eteidung Etukakpan, who spoke with this reporter by telephone earlier tonight, said the allegations were connected to a struggle for the village stool and efforts to frustrate his administration.
According to him, the crisis began after he sought clarification on the whereabouts of the village electricity transformer from the former Acting Village Head, Obong Emmanuel Elijah Aniema, and also demanded the return of the Village Council seal allegedly in his possession.
He described the alleged opposition to his leadership as unfortunate, saying it had distracted him from concentrating on the development of the community.
The Village Head said those who identified, selected and enthroned him were the same people now allegedly working against his administration.
He alleged that Obong Aniema had previously been interested in becoming the substantive Village Head and had spent money from proceeds allegedly generated from the sale of the village’s electricity transformers in pursuit of the ambition.
Etukakpan further alleged that disagreements over land transactions involving the community and Sterling Petro-chemical Exploration Company were among the major reasons for the current crisis.
He said his concern was particularly about the nature of the land agreement between the community and the company.
“My sin is because I asked to know how the land deal between Sterling Petro-chemical Exploration Company and the community was done. After coming to understand that Obong Emmanuel Elijah Aniema and Obong Godwin Owonam had given the land to Sterling Petro-chemical Exploration Company forever, I suggested that such a deal be revoked and given as a lease. Unfortunately, my suggestion was taken as a sin.”
He said he had advocated for a renewable lease arrangement rather than what he described as an outright and perpetual transfer of the community’s land.
“What I stressed with the company was a renewable land deal and not an outright purchase. I told the white men that it was wrong to say the land was bought for eternity, something that’s not done anywhere in the world with a foreign company,” he added.
According to him, Aniema and Owonam allegedly negotiated the land transactions before he became Village Head and treated the land as their own, while his subsequent attempts to obtain relevant documents and details of the transactions allegedly met resistance.
Etukakpan said that upon assuming office, he repeatedly asked the former Acting Village Head to provide documents relating to transactions carried out during his tenure so that the Village Council could have proper records and references.
He alleged that Aniema had failed to give a comprehensive account of his stewardship after leaving office.
The Village Head also alleged that Aniema had been invited to explain the whereabouts of two large gas cylinders belonging to the Mbioto Ekpene Ituen Village Women’s Development Centre.
He further alleged that during Aniema’s tenure as Acting Village Head, two old electricity transformers and one new transformer belonging to the community were sold.
Etukakpan also claimed that a standby transformer he personally facilitated for the community during his working years could no longer be located.
“As a patriotic native of Mbioto Ekpene Ituen, while I was still very active in my working years, I had requested a standby transformer for the community and I was eventually given one. But as we speak, the transformer is nowhere to be found,” he said.
He explained that after failing to obtain a proper handover and briefing on the community’s assets and entitlements, the Paramount Ruler of Onna, Edidem Raymond Timothy Inyang, intervened and advised him to commence his administration afresh without dwelling on whatever property or entitlement might have been inherited from the previous administration.
According to him, he accepted the advice and moved on.
On allegations that he misappropriated community funds, Etukakpan denied any wrongdoing, saying monies received from Sterling Petro-chemical Exploration Company had been distributed among the relevant stakeholders.
He claimed that the first ₦500,000 received by the Mbioto community was shared among the 12 Family/Ekpuk Heads, while another ₦5 million-plus received from the company was also distributed among members of the community.
The Village Head maintained that records of his transactions were documented and could be referenced.
“All my statements and transactions are in black and white form and can be referenced anywhere. I am a student of accountability,” he said.
Addressing the allegation concerning the use of ‘Ibet Inwang’ and Ekpo Nyóghó as a security tool, Etukakpan said the idea was not initiated by him.
He identified Obong Jordan Nsekpong, the Family Head of Nung Eshiet, whom he described as his Chief of Staff, as the person who suggested the arrangement.
He said the Village Council subsequently adopted the proposal during one of its meetings.
On allegations linking him to the death of late Grace Akpan Essien, the Village Head strongly denied any involvement.
He said he had never contemplated harming the deceased and was only informed after the incident occurred.
According to him, following information about her disappearance from her nephews, he personally ordered a search for her, after which she was found dead in one of the farm areas of Mbioto Ekpene Ituen.
Responding to allegations that he is high-handed, Etukakpan said he had never acted arbitrarily, insisting that he only believes in law and order.
He identified the existence of two village seals; one allegedly in his possession and another allegedly with Obong Aniema, as one of the major sources of the dispute in the community.
He said that after several unsuccessful attempts to recover the village seal and other items of community interest, he approached the Nigerian Police’s SWAT unit in Uyo to establish his case.
According to him, the parties involved in the dispute subsequently signed an agreement of good conduct at the SWAT headquarters and pledged to stop what he described as the illegal sale of community property.
The Village Head expressed regret that his less than two years in office had resulted in significant financial losses and personal hardship, including spending more than a month in detention over an allegation he said he knew nothing about.
He appealed to members of Mbioto Ekpene Ituen to stop what he described as the persecution of his person, stressing that despite the controversy surrounding his administration, he remained the Village Head of the entire community.
“I remain the Eteidung for all,” he said.
©Esekong Essiet
