Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Ita Enang, has called out Ubong Nkutt, the Chairperson of Itu Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, over the bad roads in his community. He questioned the council's performance despite more money coming in from the federal government.
Mr Enang, a former senator for Akwa Ibom North East, made these comments in a video that is now online. He pointed out that there is no access road to the chairman’s village, even with the council receiving more funds.
“Since he became the chairman, the first thing he could do is get land from the village, fence it and start building a house that he will live in. Where is the access road that he will use to his house? This is too shameful,” Mr Enang said in the video.
He also raised concerns about how the council spends its money. He claimed that Itu receives between N800 million and N900 million every month from the Federation Account.
“I will speak about this on the radio on Tuesday, he does not have a road in his village yet gets between N800 and N900 million monthly allocation. In February this year, they were given N1.3 billion. What is he doing with the money? He should tar his village road,” he said.
But an analysis of reports from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) by PREMIUM TIMES shows that some of Mr Enang’s claims about Itu’s federal allocations are not accurate.
Mr Nkutt and other local government chairpersons in Akwa Ibom started their terms in October 2024. From October to December 2024, Itu received a total of N1.143 billion in FAAC allocations, according to records analyzed by PREMIUM TIMES.
In 2025, the council got N5.703 billion, and for the first five months of 2026, the allocation was N2.608 billion. This means that from October 2024 to May 2026, Itu received a total of N9.455 billion.
This shows the council got an average of N472.8 million a month over the 20 months, which is far lower than the N800 million to N900 million monthly range claimed by Mr Enang.
The highest monthly FAAC allocation since Mr Nkutt took office was N566.16 million, which was given in April 2026 and shared in May.
Contrary to Mr Enang’s statement that Itu received N1.3 billion in February, the records show that the N519.79 million allocation for January 2026 was shared in February.
While Itu’s federal allocations have increased after the petrol subsidy removal, they do not match what Mr Enang claimed.
The council's finances cannot only be judged from its FAAC allocations. Itu is a commercial hub in Akwa Ibom with many revenue-generating activities.
The local government has the Itam market, which is considered the biggest weekly market in the state. This market draws traders and goods from different places. A part of the market also runs daily, making money through ticketing and other fees.
Itu also has interstate transport services, including the Akwa Ibom Transport Company. It has a major cattle and goat market, the state’s largest abattoir, and one of the state’s main timber markets. These activities give the council a good chance to earn more revenue.
But there is not much public information available about how much Itu makes from these sources or how the funds are spent.
Mr Enang’s comments come amid worries about the lack of visible projects done by the council since Mr Nkutt took office. In the video, he expressed disappointment that a council chairman from Itu could remain in office without fixing the roads in his community.
“I thought he is a young man who has thoughts about his community. This is just too shameful,” he said.
PREMIUM TIMES’ efforts to find out the projects carried out by the council since October 2024 faced challenges due to the lack of public fiscal and project information.
The council, like other local government councils in Akwa Ibom, does not publish its budget online, even though the Akwa Ibom State Fiscal Responsibility Law requires it.
Section 47(2) of the law says that ministries, departments, and agencies, including local governments, must keep functional online portals for budgets, implementation reports, and audited financial statements.
Findings by PREMIUM TIMES show that no local government in Akwa Ibom has its budget available online. This lack of information makes it hard for residents to know how much their council gets, how much it generates, and what it spends on roads, schools, healthcare, water, markets, and other public needs.
PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that Itu Local Government failed to provide desks for students in a primary school, leaving children to sit on bare floors during lessons.
When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Enang’s media assistant, Uduak Abasi Ikpat, he confirmed that the video was real. But he said Mr Enang's comments were not meant for the public.
He explained that Mr Enang made the remarks while speaking to a few community members after bad roads in Itu damaged his vehicle during his visit to a Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing project he had brought to the area.
PREMIUM TIMES also reached out to Mr Nkutt for a response to Mr Enang’s claims and the newspaper’s findings. The chairperson did not answer several calls from our reporter. He also did not reply to a media inquiry sent via text message.
The inquiry asked him for details on the council’s spending from the N9.455 billion received in FAAC allocations from October 2024 to May 2026, including spending by sector and project. He was also asked to share information about road, education, health, water, market, and other projects done since October 2024.
Additionally, the reporter sought information about the council's internally generated revenue from the Itam market, transport operators, cattle and goat markets, the abattoir, timber market, and other sources. He also asked why the council has not published its budgets or financial reports online, and if the administration would make its revenue and spending records public.
As of the time of this report, Mr Nkutt had not responded to the inquiry.
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