Ikpoto Effiat HCDT Commences Geotechnical Survey to Herald New Phase of Development

Effiat, Akwa Ibom – The Ikpoto Effiat Host Community Development Trust (IEHCDT), under the leadership of Chief Barrister Asuquo Asuquo Okpo has embarked on a geotechnical survey across several Effiat villages as part of preparatory works for the construction of slipways in Effiat communities. A team of professionals comprising of the Project Manager, Surveyor, Geologist, and Architect visited the area, collecting test samples and mapping out cardinal coordinates for further laboratory analysis. These findings are expected to provide the technical foundation for major developmental projects that will redefine the socio-economic landscape of Effiat. The initiative, hailed as the fulfillment of promises made years ago, is envisioned to usher in a “new Effiat” – one that will inspire pride among its sons and daughters while attracting admiration beyond its borders. The visiting team was warmly received by village heads, youth leaders, women leaders, and community members who expressed joy, offered prayers, and showered encomiums on Chief Barr. Okpo for his courage in addressing the developmental neglect of the oil-rich community. Community leaders noted that despite being a land that “lays the golden egg,” Effiat people have for decades been deprived of enjoying the benefits of their natural resources. They applauded the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari, which paved the way for Host Community Development Trusts like IEHCDT to spearhead people-driven development. The survey marks what stakeholders described as the “beginning of an exodusical movement” towards the emancipation and prosperity of Effiat.