Eket leader begs Odudoh to withdraw motion excluding Eket, Esit Eket, ONNA as coastal areas

Eket leader begs Odudoh to withdraw motion excluding Eket, Esit Eket, ONNA as coastal areas

The political leader of Eket Federal Constituency, Gen. Anthony Etukudo Rtd. has urged the member representing Ikot Abasi/Mkpat Enin/Eastern Obolo Federal Constituency in the House of Represesentatives, Uduak Ududoh, to withdraw the motion he presented on the floor of the House excluding Eket, Esit Eket and Onna local government areas of Akwa Ibom State as coastal areas in the state.

In a motion presented to the House of Representatives on July 12, on the need to increase Maritime Security Personnel in coastal areas of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Odudoh specifically mentioned Eastern Obolo, Mkpat Enin, Ikot Abasi, Ibeno, Mbo, Oron, Okobo, Udung Uko and Urue-Offong/Oruko local government arears, deliberately omitting Eket, Esit Eket and Onna local government areas.

Speaking with reporters in Eket recently, Gen. Etukudo described Ududoh’s action as a deliberate move to remove Eket, Esit Eket and Onna from the list of coastal areas in Akwa Ibom State.

“Once the document containing the Motion is referred to the Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, documented and sent back to the House for final legislation, it becomes a legal instrument in the eyes of the law”, he said.

“I’m calling on the lawmaker to withdraw the motion papers and do the necessary amendments to reflect the true position on ground”, Etukudo said.

Etukudo, a former Director of the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), however agreed with the lawmaker on the urgent need to beef up security on the coastal areas of Akwa Ibom State and the Niger Delta at large.

He stated that Odudoh may have been acting a script written for him by those who have been angling to remove Eket, Esit Eket and Onna from the list of coastal Areas of Akwa Ibom State.

“Eket, Esit Eket and Onna local government areas have always been coastal areas and has over the years been subjected to the negative impact of oil exploration while the people wallow in abject poverty because of environmental degradation caused by decades of oil activities in the area, to covertly remove the three local government areas from the list of coastal areas is criminal and unacceptable”, Etukudo said.

Following his inauguration as a member of the 10th House of Representatives in June, Mr Odudoh has been visibly active in the activities of the House.

He had, on July 29, moved a motion, under matters of urgent Public Importance, drawing the attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria on the flood which has continuously ravaged Iko and Okoromboho communities in Eastern Obolo local government area of Akwa Ibom State.

After deliberation on the issue, the House referred the matter to the committees on Environment, NDDC and Humanitarian Affairs for immediate action, while it directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to intervene.

Odudoh had earlier moved a motion on the need to investigate the non-remitances of due taxes by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in to the Federation Account. The motion, after deliberation on it by the lawmakers, was refereed to Committee on Finance for further legislative action.