Obio Ibiet Esa, an agrarian community in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State says it is ready to partner with the State Government and willing private investors on Agriculture taking advantage of its massive arable land.

Heads of various families that comprise the Obio Ibiet Esa Community stated this on Monday, August 5, 2024 during a townhall meeting where strategic decisions on how to attract investors in the community.

The meeting had in attendance family heads, youth leaders, and other members of the community who converged to put appropriate machineries in place and create awareness on the new direction aimed at developing the community.

According to the family heads who spoke with Kristina Reports, the decision was made, as it became imperative for the community to set sail, to kickstart the journey of launching out to woo the Akwa Ibom State Government and investors to take advantage of the massive arable land in community to invest.

The community unanimously resolved to deploy media visibility and other strategies to call on the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, to seize opportunities to develop Agriculture in the area, which is number one in his ARISE Agenda for the State.

The family head of Nung Akpan Udoudo, Chief Uduak Monday Akpan said the decision to invite Governor Umo Eno and foreign and local investors to invest in the community’s massive arable land for Agriculture was in furtherance of their desire to contribute in solving the current food crisis in Nigeria.

Chief Akpan believes that any investment in the area would not only align with the State Government’s policy on food availability and affordability, as well as cushion the current hunger all over Nigeria, but would also engage the youths whom he said are predominantly farmers.

“What we are trying to do is to tell the whole world that we are ready to partner the Akwa Ibom State Government and investors to invest in our village.”

“We realised that keeping quiet when we are blessed with massive arable land that is good for Agriculture will not bring us any investment or development. Therefore, we are calling on Governor Umo Eno to come to our community and invest in our land.”

“We know that one of the things government and potential investors consider before investing in an area is security. Here in Obio Ibiet Esa Community, we are the security.”

“Whatever we agree to protect remains protected. What has even emboldened us to invite government and investors to our community is the level of confidence in our security architecture.”

Another family head, Chief Emem David Essien, explained that their call for investments in agriculture in the community was due to the fact that the community had realised that it could produce palm oil and garri in commercial scale that can feed the entire state and beyond, but could only do that with support and investment from government and investors.

The family head said, while other youths were seeking for white collar jobs, Obio Ibiet Esa youths were instead seeking for ways to engage in large scale agricultural practices, a development he urged government to leverage on and reduce hunger and the high rate of unemployment in the state.

Baring his mind on the expected collaboration with the government and prospective investors, the family head of Nung Akpan Umoh, Chief Udeme Okon Akpan, said the recent recreation and reordering of everything in the community, including the leadership of families and youths had buttressed their seriousness and determination to accept any genuine investor in the area.

Chief Udeme Akpan, therefore, urged the state government, particularly, not to ignore this call, as many communities, he believed, would never offer to partner government when their land is involved.

The family head also called on Governor Umo Eno to extend his Compassionate Housing Programme to the community to restore hope to the people and give them a sense of belonging in the current administration.

The community had earlier disclosed that effective January 1, 2025, the village would stop indiscriminate harvesting of palm fruits in the area. This, it said, would help checkmate any intrusion into people’s palm fruits plantation.

Obio Ibiet Esa, a community that prides itself as ” the cradle of befitting living in Africa”, an existential-oriented philanthropy, is estimated to have a population of over 1,300 with over 80% as farmers.