LGs Abandon Multi-million Naira Security Villages in Akwa Ibom

Okon Bassey in Uyo

The multi-million naira security villages built in all the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State for top council officials have been abandoned.

Investigation has revealed that the security villages have now become safe havens or hideouts for miscreants.

The security villages, which were built in each of the 31 LGAs of the state by the state government, were to serve as residential quarters for top security personnel and senior officials of councils.

Besides, they were meant to compliment the ‘Housing for All’ policy of the former state Governor, Godswill Akpabio’s administration under the Local Government Administration law in his first term. The security villages were also to encourage council helmsmen to settle close to their people at the grassroots level.

It was learnt that the rationale behind the programme was also to reduce rural – urban drift and also make the council chairmen live in their headquarters, to avail themselves of some challenges as well as meeting the needs of the people.

The estates made up of several detached bungalows with sporting and recreational facilities were meant to accommodate the council chairmen, secretaries, heads of personnel and heads of the different security agencies among others in each of the council headquarters.

Many years after, the essence for which the security villages were established appeared to have been defeated, as the local government area chairmen now live in the state capital, and sometimes, go to work from their comfort corner.

Members of the state Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), who visited some of the estates, noted that while the facility in Uyo, the state capital, has been converted to an orphanage, that of Eket LGA has been allocated to the Nigerian Army for accommodation.

The security village in Ikot Ekpene LGA has no council officials living in them; while others located in rural parts of the state have also been hampered by their remote location, making it unattractive to the senior council officials thereby becoming a hideout for criminals.

More than 99 percent of senior council officials live in Uyo, the state capital, while a few of them who outside Uyo live in their personal houses around the council headquarters.

Accordingly, this situation has resulted in a high level of absenteeism among the council officials, as many are not always available in their offices due to distance between the state capital and their places of work.

Concerned members of the society, who spoke on anonymity, frowned at the state of affairs, noting that the absence of key council officials has impacted negatively on service delivery and worsen the already low morale and productivity of council staffers.

They also argued that the abandonment of the projects meant that millions of naira spent in building the estates may have been wasted except for a few of them being put to other usage.

However, the Chairman of Mkpat Enin LGA, Mr. Aniekpon Ekpo, has exonerated himself from the act, as he revealed that he resides in his own security village, and defended others that logistics made it expedient for them to also reside in Uyo, the state capital.

“As for me, I live in the security village of Mkpat Enin LGA, but sometimes, due to commitment and work exigency, I may be in Uyo probably on official engagement in the ministries with the commissioners/permanent secretaries as well as things that concern my local government area,” Ekpo explained.

On his own, the Chairman of Ini LGA, Mr. Israel Idaisin, disclosed that the estate in his domain has been leased as a polytechnic to private school operators in order to ward off criminal elements, who have wished to occupy the facility for unwholesome activities.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the state House of Assembly Committee on Local Government, Hon. Mark Esset, recalled that the sixth Assembly had passed a resolution mandating LGAs chiefs and other key officers to relocate to the security villages in order to be closer to the people.

While regretting that the council chairmen have refused to abide by the resolution, Esset, however, disclosed that there was plan by his committee to embark on a quarterly visit to local councils to ascertain performance and state of the security villages across the state, to check defaulters.