AJASSOR TECHNICAL COLLEGE PROJECT: MC OKRIKA CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AS CONCERNED YOUTHS DEMAND COMPLETION
Ajassor Technical College project completion is the demand as community voices led by MC Okrika call for accountability over the long-delayed project in Ajassor, Etung LGA, Cross River State.
The growing demand for development in Ajassor, Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State, has taken a fresh turn as community voices, led by concerns raised by social commentator MC Okrika, continue to call for accountability over the long-delayed completion of the Ajassor Technical College project. The growing demand for development in Ajassor, Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State, has taken a fresh turn as community voices, led by concerns raised by social commentator MC Okrika, continue to call for accountability over the long-delayed completion of the Ajassor Technical College project.
In a recent message concerning the development struggle in the community, MC Okrika said the campaign is not about personal interests but about ensuring that a project meant to serve the people is completed.
“The goal remains that Ajassor Technical College must be completed for the benefit of the Ajassor people. This is not a personal matter but the cry of the Ajassor concerned youths.”
The call comes against the backdrop of broader concerns about infrastructure and development in Cross River State, particularly in communities that residents say continue to contribute economically to the state without seeing a corresponding level of development.
For residents and indigenes of Ajassor, the Technical College has become more than an abandoned or unfinished infrastructure project. It represents a wider question about what development should look like for communities that contribute to the economic life of the state.
The concerns are particularly significant given Ajassor’s strategic position around the Etung border axis. Government sources have described Etung as an important agricultural and commercial area, with Ajassor positioned along the Nigeria-Cameroon corridor. The Cross River State Government has also highlighted plans to develop an international border market around the Ajassor Mission axis as part of efforts to expand cross-border trade.
The community’s concerns therefore extend beyond one school project. They touch on education, employment, infrastructure, economic opportunities and the question of whether host communities are receiving tangible benefits from the economic activities taking place within their environment.
A PROJECT ON PAPER, BUT WHAT ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION?
The issue has also raised questions about government funding and implementation.
Cross River State’s 2025 fourth-quarter budget implementation report listed ₦70 million for the construction/renovation of a science laboratory at Ajasor Technical College. However, the report recorded 0 per cent implementation for the project during the period covered.
That figure has added another dimension to the concerns being raised by community members: if funding has been appropriated for infrastructure connected to the school, when will residents actually see the project completed and functional?
The question is particularly important because recent fiscal reporting has highlighted broader challenges in Cross River’s education funding. Premium Times reported that the state’s education sector received no capital releases in the first quarter of 2026, despite an approved capital budget of ₦63.5 billion for education projects and programmes.
‘THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL MATTER’
MC Okrika’s intervention appears to frame the matter as a community development issue rather than a personal dispute.
“The goal remains that Ajassor Technical College must be completed for the benefit of the Ajassor people,” he stated, emphasizing that the demand represents “the cry of the Ajassor concerned youths.”
He further suggested that the struggle for development has reached a point where accountability has become central to the conversation, while urging stakeholders to watch how the situation unfolds.
For the concerned youths, the central demand remains straightforward: complete the Technical College and make it serve the people for whom it was intended.
BEYOND AJASSOR: WHO BENEFITS FROM LOCAL RESOURCES?
The debate also touches on a broader issue frequently raised by communities across resource-producing and economically active parts of Nigeria: the relationship between local economic contribution and visible community development.
Residents and indigenes of Ajassor have expressed concerns over what they describe as inadequate benefits reaching the community despite the economic activities and revenues associated with the area.
Those concerns, however, require government revenue records and project-specific data to establish precisely how much revenue is generated from Ajassor and what proportion, if any, is returned directly to the community.
What is not in dispute is that Etung has significant economic importance. The state government identifies the LGA as a major cocoa-producing area and has promoted the Ajassor border corridor as an avenue for expanded trade and investment.
Recent government interventions have also included infrastructure and economic initiatives in Ajassor and other parts of Etung. The state government reported the establishment of a modern motor park in Ajassor Ward, solar-powered water projects in parts of Ajassor, and other constituency interventions.
But for the youths raising the current alarm, the argument is that more needs to be done.
THE QUESTION NOW
As the debate continues, attention is increasingly focused on the authorities and stakeholders responsible for the project.
When will the Ajassor Technical College project be completed?
What happened to funds allocated for components of the project?
What is the current status of the college?
And most importantly, when will the people of Ajassor begin to enjoy the full educational and economic benefits they believe the project should provide?
For the concerned youths, the message remains clear: development should not stop at promises or budgetary allocations. Projects intended for the people must ultimately reach the people.
