In Emere-Oke Kingdom, a cluster of five gazetted villages in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, the promise of development sits uneasily beside stark neglect.
The kingdom, comprising the villages of Emereoke I, Emereoke II, Emeremen, Okwaanobolo, and Otunene, hosts critical oil assets operated by major companies. Yet, the daily lives of many residents are not defined by the prosperity expected from the oil wealth flowing in their community, but by the absence of basic education infrastructure, potable water and functional healthcare.
A recent video circulating online captures this reality in unsettling detail.
School in ruins
At the Government Primary School in Emere-Oke, the only public primary school serving the five villages, learning takes place in conditions many residents describe as unsafe.
