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Ekim Village Head under fire!
-Village
committee dissolved -Village account
to be audited |
Peace seems to be gradually
returning to Ekim Town, a once serene community in Ikpa Ibom
Clan, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State,
following the presentation and adoption of the 10-man Peace
and Reconciliation Panel's report that was set up some time
last year by the village council, to look into several
allegations and counter allegations leveled against the
village head, Eteidung Pius Nnah John Udoh on the one hand;
his deputy, Chief Joseph Jumbo and members of the village
committee on the other hand, which has factionalized the
village into two, one led by the village head and the other
led by his deputy.
Ekim is made-up of three component families of Akpan Ntuen,
Udo Ntuen and Ndoe Okup. The village head is from Udo Ntuen
family while the deputy is from Akpan Ntuen family.
According to our source, trouble started in the community
few years ago when the youths protested against their leader
who was from Udo Ntuen family, accusing him of incompetence
and several other allegations. The protest, our source said,
led to the village committee chaired by the village head,
Obong P.N.J. Udo, dissolving the youth leadership in
compliance to the demand of the youths of his community.
Eteidung Udo, it was learnt also set-up a 3-man youth
election committee headed by his deputy, Chief Jumbo, the
report has it that the youth election produced a prominent
youth activist in the state as the youth President, who is
from Akpan Ntuen family. According to our source that
refused to be named in the print, the youth activist had
questioned the manner in which the village head was spending
the community funds. The elected youth leader once served as
the secretary of a Port-Harcourt-based group of the
community which wrote a letter to Eteidung Udo calling for
financial account of the village. This source said angered
the village head who considered the youth activist as an
enemy.
Sources said that the emergence of the youth activist as the
leader was seen by the village head as a move to probe his
leadership in the community and possibly check-mate the
activities of the village committee, this it was learnt made
the village head refuse to accept the out come of the youth
election against all odds. The action of the village head
was viewed by the community as a smack on the community,
Akpan Ntuen family particularly which provoked the youths of
the community to rise-up in support of their new leader.
According to our sources, the youth leader was assaulted in
the community by some miscreants and the Eteidung did not
say a word even when it was reported to him, which led to
the matter being taken to the state police command, Ikot
Akpan-abia, Uyo, and some of the miscreant arrested. The
report said that at this point the village head who did not
show concern in the assault case decided to secure the
release of the miscreants, but the youth activist took the
case the force headquarters, Abuja, which exacerbated the
matter and the village head was advised to stay clear from
the matter. Weekly Insight gathered the matter later went to
Mkpat Enin Magistrate court.
Since then, it was gathered that the community never had any
peace, as the village head was later accused of several
allegations bordering on abuse of office, lack of competency
to govern the village, financial impropriety and lack of
respect for the women by his village committee and members
of the village council.
The village was later divided into two factions with the
deputy village head leading a major faction of the village
including all members of the village committee and the
village council, this incident degenerated into several
conflicts in the community which led to the grinding of all
development activities in the community.
Weekly Insight learnt that this development led to the
setting up of the 10-man Peace and Reconciliation Panel by
the village council sometime year headed by Mr. Daniel
Williams Umoren, a Port Harcourt-based businessman.
The committee held several public hearing in the community
and came up with its findings and recommendations on
Saturday March 6, 2010.
Part of the committee's recommendations stated that a 4-man
audit committee be set-up to probe the spending of the
community money by the village head, Eteidung Udo.
The committee further recommended that the village committee
be dissolved. According to our source, a new secretary,
treasurer and financial secretary were appointed to work
with the village head and the deputy.
Our sources further said that the committee recommended that
the village head and members of the village council should
apologize to the youth leader for the attack that was
carried out on him by the miscreants.
A village source who prefer not to be mentioned, told our
reporter that the village head was under fire as the
constitution of a new exco for him will check-mate his
excesses. The source admitted that peace will now return to
the community but added that the village head must subject
him to probe in order to clear his name and restore
confidence of the people.
Another source said that the community can only unite if the
report of the panel was implemented to the fullest.
A source who is close to the Eteidung said that the report
of the committee will not be accepted as it was aimed at
ridiculing the village head, the source noted that all the
allegations made against the village head were false.
According to a close source to the community, the report of
the committee was all embracing as the committee touched on
all issues affecting the community. Comments
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