38 Untapped Islands In Akwa Ibom State That People Don't See In The Map (Photos)

Akwa Ibom State houses 38 Islands that are still very untapped or developed which could make a great source for tourism in the State in the near future.

According to reports, Ibeno is gotten from the word Obolo which means white sand beach. Ibeno Local Government Area has 22 communities and all 22 are Island settlements that is not even much captured in the map.

READ ALSO: Lagos State To Unveil The Largest Rice Mill In Africa By December (See Photos)

Others are Mbo Local Government Area, with 7 Island communities while Eastern Obolo Local Government Area has 9 island communities, making Akwa Abasi Ibom state the only state with 38 island settlements in Nigeria.

Akwa Ibom currently has the longest seaband or coastal line in west Africa making it a tourism haven just like the river Nile in Egypt....with a whopping 2410 km2 coastal line, Ibeno alone has 1200km2 while others is shared among Mbo, Easyern Obolo, Ikot Abasi etc. Ibeno is bordering at the east flank by Mbo LGA, at the west flank by Eastern Obolo by north by Eket and by the south by the Atlantic Ocean.

Ibeno people are the extracted people from Andoni in River state & Eastern Obolo people in which they share the same culture and traditions with Andoni people of river state.

Bonny Island became popular because of industries present in that island. Whilst the 38 island settlements in Akwa Ibom state remain unknown and untapped due to the fact that there are no industries there.

READ ALSO: Akwa Ibom Set To Replace Crude Oil With Coconut Oil, Unveils Refinery (Photos)

Recounting details of his tour to these islands, a source wrote;

“When I went on a tour to those islands in Ibeno. Shockingly they were an island you travel for 1 full day from the jetty in Iwou-Achang in Ibeno to Utana obulop island. This island took us 23hours with a speed flying boat engine fitted with two 75 horsepower engines to be able to get to that Island of Utana Obolop Island.

“The interesting part was I saw huge population of people and majority were people from other countries like Satomi and Principe, Gabon, Togo and even people from Edo state and I was amazed about the untapped island.

“Shocking there was no federal and state governments present in those islands ... No nigerian schools, hospitals, police stations etc meaning the only thing that links that island to Akwa Ibom state and Nigeria is that the chiefs in these islands are from Ibeno period.

It is saddening how these guys are abandoned by both the state and federal governments, letting them live and do their business alone with steady international travels from one country to the other without visa or etc. Akwa Ibom state might not be big in size in the Nigerian map but the state is deep in reality.

“These islands house up to 80 thousand inhabitants of various countries ... The primary occupation there is fishing and once in a while some foreign fishing companies and NGOs drop food & medical aids in the island in exchange for sea food.

READ ALSO: How Lagos Policemen Planted Weed In Man's Car, Beat Him Senseless And Extorted N40K

“If these Islands are developed, it will make Akwa Ibom look like Miami in the USA, or the Bahamas.

“I am just so angry. I won't be surprised if we lose some of these islands in the future to foreign Governments like we did bakassi. Akwa Ibom alone has over 80 thousand Ghanaians living both in Ibeno and Mbo L.G.A. In fact, there is a place in Iwouachang in Ibeno called Ghana town.”

See Photos;