IBENO -The NNPC/SEPNU JV Ibeno Host Community Development Trust (IHCDT) has extended its development intervention beyond Ibeno Local Government Area, donating a 500KVA transformer to Esit Urua and replacing electricity poles along the Edeobuk-Ebana-Esit Urua axis.
The intervention, according to the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the IHCDT, Mr. Samuel Ekpenyong Thomas, is part of the Trust’s commitment to peaceful coexistence, good neighbourliness and development-driven relationships with adjoining communities.
Thomas revealed this during a media parley at the Trust’s office at the weekend, explaining that the decision to intervene in the neighbouring communities was informed by genuine infrastructure needs rather than administrative boundaries.
He said the Trust viewed the electricity challenges confronting Edeobuk, Ebana and Esit Urua as an opportunity to demonstrate that community development could serve as an instrument for peace-building and stronger relationships among neighbouring communities.
According to him, the IHCDT has not only provided the 500KVA transformer at Esit Urua, but also undertaken the replacement of electricity poles along the stretch from Edeobuk through Ebana and Esit Urua all in Eket Local Government Area,towards Ibeno.
Thomas said the intervention was driven by the conviction that sustainable development thrives in an atmosphere of peace, cooperation and mutual understanding.
He stressed that the projects were not merely infrastructure interventions, but also a demonstration of compassion, solidarity and the spirit of good neighbourliness.
The development is particularly significant because the beneficiary communities are located outside Ibeno Local Government Area ,underscoring the Trust’s willingness to respond to critical needs beyond its immediate geographical jurisdiction.
Residents of Edeobuk, Ebana and Esit Urua have, over time, contended with deteriorating electricity infrastructure and unreliable power supply.
The replacement of electricity poles and provision of the transformer are therefore, expected to strengthen the electricity infrastructure serving the affected communities.
The gesture is cementing the peace process between Esit Urua in Eket and Ibeno, which began in November 2025, was consolidated through a joint communiqué on December 6, 2025, and a formal peace pact/MoU signed on February 5, 2026.
The agreement committed both Ibeno and Esit Urua communities to ending hostilities and promoting peaceful coexistence and development.
Stakeholders described the intervention as a practical expression of the understanding reached by the two areas, as the emerging partnership, demonstrates how peace agreements can translate into tangible development when communities move beyond conflict and embrace cooperation.
Thomas emphasised that neighbouring communities could achieve more through dialogue, mutual respect and collective action than through confrontation and division.
The IHCDT intervention, he said, reinforces the principle that development should not be constrained by geographical boundaries when there is a genuine need that can be addressed through cooperation.
Stakeholders have consequently urged other communities and development institutions in the region to adopt similar peace-building and development initiatives, noting that peaceful relationships remain essential for sustainable development.
For residents of Edeobuk, Ebana and Esit Urua, the intervention represents more than the provision of electricity infrastructure.
It is also a practical demonstration that peaceful neighbours can become partners in development.
In the case of the three communities in Eket Local Government Area, when help was needed, Ibeno responded with peace, goodwill and action.