“When a state begins building physical infrastructure outside its borders, it ceases to be a sub-national government and starts acting like a private real estate developer using public funds” – Dr. Eno Adams
RE: STOP ABUJA HOUSING ESTATE, PRIORITIZE DEVELOPMENT IN AKWA IBOM STATE:- SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT -Mkpisong (Barr.) Gabriel Fan
President, Akwa Ibom Community Abuja
This discussion addresses the fundamental tension between political optics and fiscal sustainability in Akwa Ibom State
A Rejoinder by Dr. Eno R. Adams
While the response from the Abuja community by leader Mkpisong (Barr.) Gabriel Fan frames this housing project as “visionary leadership,” it ignores the cold, hard mathematics of governance and the ethical obligations of a state to its entire citizenry.
Below, I unpack why this project is a dangerous precedent, using the principles of equality, fiscal responsibility, and intergenerational justice.
1. The Fallacy of Geographic Inclusivity
The responder, Barr Gabriel Fan, argues that “leadership transcends borders.” While a leader’s empathy should transcend borders, statutory resources cannot. A state government exists primarily to develop the geography it governs, period!
When a state begins building physical infrastructure outside its borders, it ceases to be a sub-national government and starts acting like a private real estate developer using public funds. If the state builds in Abuja, by what logic does it deny the Akwa Ibom communities in Houston, Lagos, Ibadan, or Port Harcourt? By selecting Abuja, the government isn’t being “inclusive”; it is being arbitrarily selective. This creates a hierarchy of indigenes where those in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) become more “stakeholder” than those elsewhere.
2. Spreading Thin: The Economic Reality
Barr Fan claims this is a “structured, subsidy-based investment.” However, even if the state were “minting Naira daily,” it cannot afford to ignore the opportunity cost.
Every Naira spent subsidizing a luxury or mid-level apartment in Abuja is a Naira not spent on:
A Primary healthcare in Ikot Ekpene.
B. Rural electrification in Ini.
C. Agricultural processing plants that would create actual wealth within the state.
Oil is a finite resource. We are currently living off a “wasting asset.” To take the proceeds of a depleting resource and sink it into the oversaturated real estate market of a different territory is not “strategic investment.” (Right now, Cross River State is working hard to get some of our oil wells, and we don’t know what will happen when the fat lady sings). This is nothing more than capital flight from our state.
3. The Mortgage Solution: Equality vs. Favoritism
The responder, Barr. Gabriel Fan suggests that people in Abuja deserve “structured engagement.” If the goal is truly to empower citizens to own homes, the solution is not a discretionary project for a few but a universal system for all.
• A State-Backed Mortgage Scheme: Instead of building a specific “Akwa Ibom Estate” in Abuja, the state should partner with financial institutions to provide credit facilities.
• The Benefit: This allows an Akwa Ibom indigene to buy a home anywhere—Uyo, Lagos, or Abuja—based on their ability to repay.
• The Justice: It removes the “jealousy” and the “selective” nature of the project. It ensures that the government isn’t picking winners and losers based on where they choose to move. Even Mr. God is a “jealous” man.
4. Intergenerational Theft: Safeguarding the Commonwealth
We must not mortgage our unborn children to satisfy the immediate desires of a few today. The wealth of Akwa Ibom belongs as much to the child born in 2050 as it does to us today.
If we squander our “commonwealth” on prestigious projects outside our borders, we leave the next generation with nothing but empty oil wells and a legacy of mismanagement. We must use only what we need for essential, state-wide development and preserve the rest in a sovereign wealth format for the future.
The response in Barr Fan is wrapped in the language of “visionary leadership,” but it lacks the humility of prudent stewardship. Governance is not about “winning the hearts of a few” through selective generosity; it is about the equality of opportunity.
The Akwa Ibom House of Assembly must reclaim its oversight role. We cannot allow the state’s resources to be “spread thin” across the country while the roots of our home state still crave the water of basic development.
1. The Myth of “Transcending Borders.”
Barr Fan claims that “leadership transcends borders.” This is a dangerous distortion of governance. A state’s mandate is tied to its territory as Mrs. Mfon Umana stated.
When we take the collective resources of Akwa Ibom and sink them into the soil of Abuja, we are engaging in Capital Flight. We are developing the Federal Capital Territory while our own rural roads in Oruk Anam remain impassable and our schools in Urue-Offong Oruko lack basic infrastructure. If the Governor wants to build in Abuja, why not in Houston, Lagos, or Port Harcourt, where thousands of our indigenes also reside? By picking Abuja, the government is playing favorites, not practicing “inclusive responsibility.”
2. We Are Not Minting Naira; We Are Mining a Wasting Asset
Barr. Fan suggests this is a “strategic investment.” Let us be brutally honest: Oil is finite. The deposits beneath our soil will not last forever.
Every Kobo spent on a luxury estate in Abuja is a Kobo stolen from our children’s future. To “spread ourselves thin” across the country while our internal economy is gasping for diversification is reckless. We are essentially mortgaging the lives of yet unborn children to provide subsidized housing for the political and social elite in the FCT. We should use only what we need today and preserve the rest in a Sovereign Wealth Fund, not in Abuja cement.
3. The Arrogance of Selective “Freebies”
The responder claims this isn’t a “freebie,” but a “subsidy-based model.” If the state has the capacity to offer subsidies and credit, why is it tied to a specific physical location in Abuja?
• The Solution is a Mortgage Scheme: If the government truly cared about the welfare of its people, it would establish a Universal Mortgage Scheme.
• This would allow a qualified Akwa Ibom indigene to access credit to buy a home anywhere—whether in Uyo, Eket, or Abuja.
• A mortgage scheme removes the “vestiges of jealousy” because it is based on equal opportunity and merit, not on being part of a “selective project” designed to win the hearts of a few Abuja-based stakeholders.
4. Respectful Dissent vs. Bullying
Finally, we must address the tone of the discourse. Ms. Mfon Umana exercised her right as a citizen to question the government with respect. The response from Barr. Fan, however, uses words such as “warped,” “pedestrian,” and “arrogant.” That was unfortunate and uncalled for, in a simple positioning of an affair in a state where she is also a stakeholder.
We cannot build a democracy on the foundation of bullying. When the House of Assembly fails in its oversight role to “friction” the executive, it is the duty of the citizens to speak up. Disagreement is the heartbeat of democracy; arrogance is the death of it.
Akwa Ibom belongs to all of us—not just those who live in Abuja. We must stop the squandering of our commonwealth. We must demand that our leaders prioritize the development of our home soil before they go “visionary” elsewhere.
Let us build our state first. Our children’s future depends on it.
The Myth (from Ex. B) The Reality (The Fiscal Truth)
“Leadership transcends borders.” Leadership has a mandate. A Governor is elected to develop Akwa Ibom, not to act as a real estate developer in the FCT. Resources are tied to the territory of the taxpayers.
“It’s a strategic investment.” It’s Capital Flight. Investing in Abuja develops Abuja’s economy. Investing in Akwa Ibom develops our economy. We should be building internal multipliers, not exporting our wealth.
“Indigenes in Abuja deserve opportunity.” Equality, not favoritism. Why Abuja and not Lagos or Houston? A State-Backed Mortgage Scheme provides an opportunity for all citizens to buy homes anywhere, based on merit rather than geography.
“We are demonstrating inclusive responsibility.” Selective projects create jealousy. True inclusivity is a universal policy (like access to credit) that doesn’t pick “winners” based on which city they moved to.
“Oil proceeds are for today’s vision.” Oil is a finite resource. We are “spreading ourselves thin” by spending today’s wealth on external projects. We must save for our unborn children, not squander their commonwealth.
