Sunday August 30, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng
The NNPC/Seplat (JV) Ibeno Host Community Development Trust has intensified its intervention in critical sectors of Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, with stakeholders commending the Trust for responding to pressing community needs.
The commendation came from residents and community leaders who spoke with journalists in Upenekang on Saturday, particularly on the Trust’s ongoing interventions in flood control, rural electrification and education.
The Village Council Chairman of Idung Abasi Okure, Chief Nathaniel Ukochio, commended the Trust’s leadership under Mr. Samuel Ekpenyong for initiating projects designed to improve the living conditions of residents across the oil-producing communities.
Ukochio said the Trust had demonstrated commitment to addressing some of the challenges confronting Ibeno communities, particularly the recurring flooding experienced in the coastal local government area.
He noted that the Trust’s Management Committee (MANCO), headed by Engr. James Utiaruk, was coordinating and supervising the implementation of the projects to ensure that the interventions produced tangible benefits for the host communities.
He identified the ongoing opening, clearing and dredging of waterways and drainage channels as one of the major components of the flood-control intervention.
According to him, the exercise covers vulnerable locations in Mkpanak, Upenekang, Iwuo-Okpom, Okoroutip, Iwochang and other communities across Ibeno.
“Given the coastal nature of Ibeno, our communities remain particularly vulnerable to flooding, especially during prolonged rainfall.
“The decision by the Trust to commence flood-control measures before the situation becomes catastrophic demonstrates responsive leadership and foresight,” he said.
Ukochio, however, appealed to the Trust to extend the exercise to all the 27 villages in Ibeno, stressing that flooding remains a challenge affecting communities across the local government area.
A woman leader, Lady Ikwo Dan recalled the devastating impact of flooding on Iwuo-achang, saying floodwaters had repeatedly destroyed property and disrupted economic activities.
She expressed appreciation to the Trust and its leadership noting that the ongoing intervention had brought relief and renewed hope to residents.
Also speaking, the Alternate Chairman of the Trust, Bar. Diamond Akapnika, explained that flood control was only one component of the broader development programme being implemented by the NNPC/Seplat Energy JV Ibeno Host Community Development Trust.
Akapnika said the Trust had also embarked on rural electrification projects aimed at improving access to electricity, stimulating economic activities and enhancing the social wellbeing of residents.
He said the Trust was equally investing in education, stressing that human-capital development remained essential to achieving sustainable and enduring development in the host communities.
The Alternate Chairman commended Seplat Energy Plc for its partnership in community development, while acknowledging the role of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in providing a framework for host-community development through Host Community Development Trusts.
He noted that the PIA, signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari, had continued to provide the statutory framework for host-community interventions under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The stakeholders described the interventions as significant, stressing that sustainable development in Ibeno requires simultaneous investment in infrastructure and human capital.
They particularly commended the Settlor; Seplat Energy, Mr. Ekpenyong and the MANCO led by Engr. Utiaruk for focusing on immediate community challenges and implementing projects capable of delivering direct benefits to residents.
However, they stressed that the development challenges confronting Ibeno were too enormous for any single institution to tackle alone.
They thanked Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno for responding to the recent flood menace in Ibeno, and also called on the Federal Government, interventionist agencies, other settlors, development partners and non-governmental organisations to complement the efforts of the NNPC/Seplat JV Ibeno Host Community Development Trust in tackling development challenges in the area.
The stakeholders urged increased interventions in roads, electricity, flood control and drainage, education, healthcare, potable water, economic empowerment and other critical infrastructure.
According to them, sustainable development in Ibeno requires a coordinated approach in which the government, host communities Trust, oil companies and development partners play complementary roles.
They said the ongoing projects represent more than physical infrastructure, expressing optimism that the interventions would improve livelihoods and strengthen public confidence in community development institutions.
While urging the Trust to sustain the momentum, the stakeholders called for broader consultation with communities stakeholders and equitable extension of development interventions to all parts of Ibeno.
They also appealed to other stakeholders to fulfil their responsibilities, stressing that coordinated deployment of government and community-development resources would deliver greater and more sustainable benefits to the people of Ibeno.
