Godwin Haruna
18 October 2008
Lagos — Seventeen villages in Effiat, one of the oil producing areas in Akwa Ibom State, may be lost to the Atlantic Ocean if urgent steps are not taken to arrest water surge from the Atlantic ocean.
This is causing serious apprehension among the people, who said the surge is as a result of exploration activities of some oil producing companies in the state.
Some of the villages that have been partly taken over by water include Esuk Enwang, Ibout Utan, Utan Efiong, Akwa Obio, Edebo, Brama, Mbendoro, Obio Iyata, Aya Effiat, Utan Antai, Inua Abasi, Ine Ekpo, Asiak Obufa, Obio Inwang, Obong Nnim and Usuk Efiat .
Effiat is an oil rich community, in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. It host to high profile oil companies including Mobil, Oriental, Moni Pulo, Centrica Energy Resources and Addax.
Representative of Effiat Youths, Barrister Asuquo Okpo, said in an interview in Lagos, that although the people of Effiat want these oil companies carrying out oil exploration in the area to pay back to the communities that have swollen their purse, they would not be militant about pressing home their demands.
"Effiat people are peace-loving people and would continue to be," Okpo said.
He, however, noted that the area has not enjoyed anything from most of the major oil companies operating within its vicinity.
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