My 2018: A Tour Around My Town Eket

Neighborhood Overview

Eket has a long history, but the city is most renowned for being one of Nigeria’s oil rich territories in the Niger Delta. The area is regarded as the second largest urban centre in Akwa Ibom State. The population of the area is estimated to be over 300,000 people drawn from indigenes and other residents. The coastal city has its name derived from the predominant language spoken by the indigenes Ekid. Eket is regarded as a subset of the Ibibio ethnic group, the dialect which originates from the Benue-Congo is spoken by Eket and Esit Eket indigenes and bears strong similarities with Ibibio which makes it easily understood.

Eket is the hub for Oil and Gas Companies like Exxon Mobil, Frontier Oil, as well as oil servicing firms. However, the area can be easily classified to be more of a residential town because the neighborhood houses many oil workers.
Real estate in Eket has great potential for more development if it is better explored. Most delectable properties in Eket are owned by non-indigenes (oil workers) who settled in the area.

The road network in Eket is well interwoven with each other for easy navigation across the city. There are several tarred roads in the area are except for a few ones that may have gone bad. The entire Eket region can be navigated within three hours.

The presence of oil companies has reduced the interest of youths of the area in engaging in farming and also fishing. Some notable social amenities in Eket include an Airstrip along Eket-Oron road and a sports stadium at Peter Idiong Street. The airstrip serves as easy means to convey workers and foreign expatriates who work offshore on oil rigs. There is a government-owned general hospital situated in the heart of the town and several other private hospitals and medical center.
The major schools in Eket include; Pegasus Nursery/Primary School, Hope Power School, Ideal Preparatory School, Divine Seeds Nursery/Primary School etc. There is also a tertiary institution, Heritage Polytechnic.

People

Due to the operation of oil companies in the area, Eket plays host to people drawn from different parts of the country, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and other ethnic minorities. The people of Eket are mostly working class people with a majority of them being employed by Exxon Mobil, the foremost Oil and Gas Company which has been operational for over three decades in the region. The rest of the population comprise of civil servants who work in the local government Secretariat, hospitals as well as schools. Private business owners also make part of the populace.

Unexpected Appeal/What to Expect

One obvious expectation would be an unpredictable weather with more rainfall due to the location of the city in the tropical rainforest. All entrances into the Eket are demarcated with rivers and water bodies. The city wears a general quite outlook especially during national holidays when non-indigenes resident in the area would have traveled. The general cost of living in Eket is relatively high because of the presence of oil companies and workers in the city. The prices of food commodities and services are mostly targeted at the rich.

Market

Urua Enka and Urua Offiong Etuk are the two popular markets in Eket. The Urua Enka operates all through the week from Monday through Saturday while Urua Offiong Etuk sales once a week alternating between every other day of the week except Sunday. Urua Offiong Etuk market day draws buyers and sellers from other communities.

Fun Spots and Recreation

Besides the being regarded as an oil rich city, there are fun places in Eket for fun seekers. Residents usually unwind especially during weekends at popular clubs in the city, like Blade Lounge, Bako Club. Some of the city’s most prominent hotel Royalty Hotels, Eden Hotels, Belajno Hotel and Villa Marina Hotel.
There are a few of hangout spots in Eket were residents can catch fun whenever they want to like the Eket Sports Club, Destiny Park, Food Affairs etc. During the weekend nodal junctions come alive in the evenings as residents visit hangout spots in Eket like sports bars, Suya joints at major street corners.