Akwa Ibom’s Itu LGA received N9.46bn in FAAC allocations under Chairperson Ubong Nkutt, but Ambassador Ita Enang is questioning the council’s spending and the state of infrastructure, including roads, while fiscal records challenge some of his revenue claims.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Ita Enang, has criticised the Chairperson of the Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Ubong Nkutt, over the poor condition of roads in his community, questioning the council’s performance despite increased federal allocations.
“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 questioned the council’s spending priorities, alleging that Itu receives between N800 million and N900 million monthly 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.
However, an analysis of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) reports published by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation by PREMIUM TIMES shows that some of Mr Enang’s claims about Itu’s federal allocations are inaccurate.
Mr Nkutt and other local government chairpersons in Akwa Ibom were sworn into office in October 2024.
From October to December 2024, Itu received a combined N1.143 billion in FAAC allocations, according to the records analysed by PREMIUM TIMES.
In 2025, the council received N5.703 billion, while its allocation for the first five months of 2026 stood at N2.608 billion.
The cumulative FAAC allocation to Itu between October 2024 and May 2026 (the last published FAAC allocation) was therefore N9.455 billion.
This means the council received an average of N472.8 million per month over the 20-month period, significantly below the N800 million to N900 million per month range alleged by Mr Enang.
The highest monthly FAAC allocation received by the council since Mr Nkutt assumed office was N566.16 million, allocated in April 2026 and shared in May.
Similarly, contrary to Mr Enang’s claim that Itu received N1.3 billion in February, the records show that the N519.79 million allocation for January 2026 was shared with the council in February.
The figures show that, although Itu’s federal allocations have increased following the removal of the petrol subsidy and subsequent increases in FAAC distributions, the council has not received the amounts claimed by Mr Enang.
The council’s financial position cannot, however, be assessed solely from its FAAC allocations.
Itu is one of the commercial centres of Akwa Ibom and has several major revenue-generating activities.
The local government hosts the Itam market, widely regarded as the state’s biggest weekly market, which attracts traders and goods from within and outside Akwa Ibom. A substantial section of the market also operates daily, generating revenue through ticketing and other levies.
Itu also hosts interstate transport operators, including the Akwa Ibom Transport Company, as well as a major cattle and goat market, the state’s biggest abattoir and one of the state’s major timber markets.
These activities provide the council with substantial opportunities for internally generated revenue.
However, there is little publicly available information showing how much Itu generates from these sources or how the funds are subsequently spent.
Mr Enang’s criticism follows concerns over the visibility of projects executed by the council since Mr Nkutt assumed office.
In the video, he said he was disappointed that a council chairman from Itu could remain in office without ensuring that roads serving his community were improved.
“I thought he is a young man who has thoughts about his community. This is just too shameful,” he said.
PREMIUM TIMES’ attempts to establish the projects executed by the council since October 2024 were hampered by the absence of publicly accessible fiscal and project information.
The council, like other local government councils in Akwa Ibom, does not publish its budget online, despite a requirement under the Akwa Ibom State Fiscal Responsibility Law.
Section 47(2) of the law requires ministries, departments and agencies, including local governments, to maintain functional online portals through which budgets, implementation reports and audited financial statements are published.
Findings by PREMIUM TIMES show that no local government council in Akwa Ibom currently has its budget publicly available online.
The absence of such information makes it difficult for residents to determine how much their council receives, how much it generates internally and what it spends on roads, schools, healthcare, water, markets and other public infrastructure.
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that Itu Local Government failed to provide desks for pupils in a primary school within the local government, leaving children to sit on bare floors while receiving lessons.
Contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Enang’s media aide, Uduak Abasi Ikpat, confirmed that the video was authentic.
