A Public Affairs Analyst and Development Communication scholar, Anietie Etteyit, has challenged the Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio (MMI) to provide verifiable evidence for its claim that the distribution of 34 oil and gas jobs in Akwa Ibom was lopsided, warning that advocacy based on unverified information could undermine the organisation’s credibility.
Etteyit, in a reaction to a recent defence of MMI by Akparawa Ab Tom, said the organisation’s 8 September 2026 statement condemning the alleged allocation of 30 positions to Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District, against two each for Eket and Uyo Senatorial Districts, was based on a “purported publication” circulating on social media.
He argued that the matter should first be subjected to verification, noting that no official recruitment list had, to his knowledge, been released by relevant federal agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Ltd, Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, or the Federal Character Commission, FCC.
According to him, MMI’s long history of advocacy and community development makes it even more important for the organisation to ensure that public statements issued in its name are supported by evidence.
Etteyit acknowledged MMI’s contributions since its establishment in 1987, including education, scholarships, Ibibio language programmes, resource-control advocacy, health outreaches, microcredit schemes and sports development, but said the organisation’s past achievements should not shield its current actions from scrutiny.
“Reading the record demands that we honour MMI’s past. Reading the data demands that we protect MMI’s future,” he said, stressing that advocacy could lose its force when allegations were made before the underlying facts had been established.
He also questioned the consistency of MMI’s interventions on issues of political representation and access to federal opportunities, asking whether the organisation had previously audited the distribution of appointments and employment opportunities across Akwa Ibom’s three senatorial districts.
The analyst said the more important issue should be how the state could improve the capacity of its youths to compete successfully for federal opportunities, rather than merely protesting after recruitment outcomes had been announced.
He noted that the constitutional principle of federal character should not automatically be interpreted as equal distribution among the three senatorial districts, arguing that factors such as population, qualification, merit and geographical spread also had to be considered.
Etteyit therefore challenged MMI to move beyond public condemnation by establishing an Akwa Ibom Federal Opportunities Desk, providing information on jobs, scholarships and grants, and organising digital-skills and examination-preparation programmes for youths across the state.
He further proposed an annual Akwa Ibom Representation Audit to track appointments, projects and opportunities accruing to the state from 1987 to date.
According to him, such initiatives would enable MMI to transform its extensive organisational and diaspora network into a platform for preparing Akwa Ibom youths to compete for more opportunities.
He urged the relevant federal agencies and ministries to publish recruitment lists, selection criteria and Federal Character compliance reports to remove doubts surrounding the disputed employment figures.
Etteyit said MMI could strengthen rather than weaken its standing by combining advocacy with evidence-based intervention, stressing that the objective should ultimately be to equip more Akwa Ibom youths to secure opportunities.
“Before we attack MMI, let us read the record. Before we defend MMI, let us demand the evidence. And after we have done both, let us get to work preparing every part of Akwa Ibom to compete and win,” he said.
