The controversy over the distribution of employment opportunities in Akwa Ibom’s oil and gas sector has taken a new turn, with the team of Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, rejecting allegations by Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio (MMI) that opportunities under his watch have been distributed unfairly.
The minister’s spokesman, Louis Ibah, said the document relied upon by MMI in raising the allegation did not originate from Ekpo’s office and carried neither its official letterhead nor seal, describing reliance on the unauthenticated document as unfortunate.
MMI’s concerns, however, have brought back into focus a broader question that goes beyond the authenticity of the disputed list: how equitably are employment opportunities and other benefits arising from Akwa Ibom’s strategic position in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry being distributed among the state’s people?
In its response, Ekpo’s camp argued that his record in office does not support the perception of exclusion, pointing to a series of interventions and investments which it said are designed to create jobs and expand economic opportunities across Akwa Ibom rather than concentrate them in one senatorial district or ethnic constituency.
Among the initiatives cited is the recent grassroots LPG intervention, through which the minister said 27,000 gas cylinders were distributed across the state’s 31 local government areas, alongside ₦100,000 grants to 3,000 beneficiaries. His team also listed CNG infrastructure, gas processing and distribution projects, including investments in Esit Eket and Ibesikpo Asutan, as part of efforts to deepen the state’s energy economy.
The statement further referenced the proposed 20,000-metric-tonne LPG depot at Atabrikang-Aquaha in Eastern Obolo and a $3.5 billion gas infrastructure and industrialisation agreement involving the Akwa Ibom State Government, NNPC Limited and the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria, arguing that such projects have the potential to generate employment and stimulate economic activity beyond political or senatorial boundaries.
On representation, the minister’s team also cited appointments involving people from different parts of the state, including Edet Ubong of Uyo, Kufre Sam of Eket, Odiong Ekanem of Itu, Blessing Samuel of Uyo and Ubong Umana of Esit Eket, as evidence that Ekpo’s decisions are not restricted to his senatorial district.
The response nevertheless leaves the central concern raised by MMI requiring broader public scrutiny: whether the availability of projects and appointments necessarily translates into fair access to actual employment opportunities for qualified Akwa Ibom indigenes. While the minister’s team has highlighted infrastructure, funding and appointments, the allegation that triggered the dispute specifically concerns the distribution of jobs.
That distinction is important because large investments in the oil and gas sector can only achieve their wider social value when local people are able to access the employment, enterprise and skills-development opportunities they generate. Equally, allegations of lopsidedness should be supported by verifiable records rather than disputed or unauthenticated documents, particularly when they involve sensitive issues of ethnicity and political representation.
Ekpo’s team has therefore challenged MMI to engage on facts and avoid narratives capable of creating ethnic suspicion, while maintaining that the minister remains committed to working with Governor Umo Eno for the development of Akwa Ibom. The emerging dispute may ultimately be less about competing claims of achievement and more about the need for transparent, verifiable data on recruitment, beneficiaries and project distribution so that citizens can independently assess whether the state’s oil and gas opportunities are reaching the people equitably.
