‘There’s no road at all in Eket urban’

Assam Assam, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Russia and a close political ally of Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno, has challenged the administration’s road development claims in Eket, saying “there’s no road at all in Eket urban area.”

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Mr Assam, a senior advocate of Nigeria, was the director-general (DG) of Governor Eno’s campaign in the 2023 governorship election. He is generally referred to as the DG of Government Business within the government circle in Akwa Ibom.

The senior lawyer made the remark when media practitioners from Eket Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State visited him at his country home in Eket.

The delegation was led by Essien Ndueso, Mr Eno’s aide on Research and Documentation, according to the video of the meeting posted on Facebook on Sunday.

It is unclear when the video was recorded.

The remarks are significant coming from Mr Assam, who served as the director-general of Mr Eno’s 2023 governorship campaign and later defected with the governor to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He is also the APC political leader of the Eket Senatorial District.

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Media aides seek greater collaboration

Speaking during the visit, Mr Essien said the governor has performed well in Eket Federal Constituency, particularly in projects and political appointments.

He noted that more than seven media professionals from the constituency now serve as media aides to the governor.

Mr Essien urged political office holders to remain accessible and accountable to the public, calling for greater collaboration between public officials and media practitioners.

According to him, such engagement would allow political office holders to explain their activities to the public while also helping them understand and respond to the needs of their constituents.

He said some of those needs involved minor interventions in communities, which could be addressed more effectively through sustained engagement between political office holders and the media.

‘Forget about this one, they did’

Responding to the delegation, Mr Assam said the state government needed to do more in Eket Urban, despite the road projects it has commissioned there.

“That I said the government must have visibility for doing a 12km road in Eket because there’s no road at all in the Eket Urban area,” he said.

“Forget about this one, they did from Atabong Bridge to Esuene Square. Even Grace Bill Road has not been done,” he added, dismissing one of the roads constructed in the area.

Mr Assam identified a “5.67km” road corridor, beginning from Atabong Bridge and passing through RCC before crossing Eket-Oron Road to Afaha Ukwa Road, Government Secondary School and Marina.

“That road is 5.67km. Everybody within and outside this community uses that road. I ask that the road be built so that it can provide access to …” he said.

The statement appears to contrast with the state government’s presentation of its infrastructure projects in Eket.

Government’s road projects

In June, Channels TV reported that Mr Eno commissioned 4.8 kilometres of roads in the Eket Local Government Area.

The commissioned projects included the 2.4-kilometre Ikot Akpa Ikpo–Urua Udo Inyang Road and another 2.4-kilometre internal road network in Mkpok Estate Phases I and II.

Channels TV also reported that Mr Eno said his administration was constructing about 38 kilometres of roads across Eket, with various stages of completion, and that another 12 kilometres were planned.

According to the report, the governor inspected the ongoing Afaha Atai road projects during his visit to the area.

Mr Assam, however, specifically located his criticism in Eket Urban, rather than the entire Eket Local Government Area.

His comments, therefore, raise questions about whether the government’s wider road construction figures adequately reflect the state of roads within the urban centre.

‘The burden of governance is huge’

Despite his criticism, Mr Assam urged residents and political appointees to support the governor.

“I want you all to have it at the back of your mind that the government must be encouraged. Our brothers and sisters appointed to public service should also assist the governor. The burden of governance is huge. We should try to lessen his burden,” he said.

He also called for better utilisation of government-built schools and health centres, saying infrastructure would have little impact without properly trained teachers and adequate protection of public facilities.

The Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, did not respond to calls seeking his reaction to Mr Assam’s comments.

N3.85bn allocated to Eket roads in 2026

The scale of the government’s road programme is also reflected in the 2026 budget.

A review of the budget by PREMIUM TIMES shows that N3.85 billion was allocated to various road projects in Eket.

The provisions cover major inter-community roads as well as streets, estate roads and road infrastructure within the metropolis. It does not cover roads that crisscross other local government areas into Eket or Eket into other local government areas.

The budget provides N300 million for the 2.4km Ikot Akpa Ikpo–Urua Udo Inyang Road, which Mr Eno commissioned in June.

Another N400 million was earmarked for 1.4km of internal roads in Mkpok Estate Phase I, while N300 million was provided for another 1.0km in Phase II.

The government allocated a further N300 million for the 3.55km Afaha Atai–Eko Ikwa Road with a spur, N250 million for the 1.4km Iseyiridua–Afaha Atai Road, N300 million for the 3km Idung Imoh Road, and N300 million for the 1.55km Ndue Eduo–Ikot Akpaenang Road with a spur to the health centre.

The 2026 budget also contains N300 million for Archibong Udo Avenue in Ikot Ibiok, N200 million for Akpadiaha Street, N200 million for the rehabilitation of Prince Eket Road in Okon Eket, and N300 million for internal roads in Ndue Eduo Eket.

Another N300 million was allocated for the construction of Odungide Street, Ekanem Street, Akanimo Lane and John Eshiet Street, while N500 million was provided for the construction and remodelling of selected roads and strategic roundabouts and junctions in Eket metropolis under Phases I and II.

The government further set aside N200 million for the reconstruction of the 3.3km Idua Road.

The budget, however, does not specify kilometre lengths for some of the projects, including the rehabilitation of Prince Eket Road, Akpadiaha Street, the four-street project, the selected roads and junctions, Archibong Udo Avenue and the internal roads in Ndue Eduo.

Despite the scale of the allocations, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that several of the projects listed in the 2026 budget had not commenced as of the time of this report.

A budgetary provision does not necessarily mean that a project has commenced, that the full allocation has been released or that the money has been spent.

Idua Road gets fresh allocation after commissioning

The 3.3km Idua Road also raises questions about the continuity of project funding under successive administrations.

The road was initiated under former Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration and was already an ongoing project before Mr Eno assumed office.

Under Mr Eno, the project was subsequently presented in budget documents as the reconstruction of the 3.3km Idua Road, with a N1 billion allocation in the 2023 budget.

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Mr Eno eventually commissioned the road on 4 May 2024.

However, budget documents show that funding continued after the commissioning.

The 2025 approved budget recorded a 2024 revised provision of N450 million, with N253.25 million spent as of September 2024, while another N500 million was appropriated for 2025.

The road received a further N200 million allocation in the 2026 budget.

The continued appropriations do not, by themselves, establish wrongdoing. They could relate to outstanding contractual payments, variations, additional works or other obligations connected with the project.

However, the budget documents reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES do not provide sufficient detail to establish why the road continued to receive substantial allocations after its commissioning.

The Akwa Ibom State government has not also published its procurement details as required by the state’s procurement law, which could aid an independent assessment of the project amount, payments made so far, and why budgetary provisions will continue two years after its commissioning.

Although Mr Eno is not from Eket, he has lived in the oil city for decades, running his hotel business and later a local church, All Nations Christian Ministry International, where he is the lead pastor.