…we’ve been long marginalized, Oro, Ibeno, Eastern Obolo cry out
…Obolo State if allowed ‘ll be perpetually at war with Eket, the entire Ibeno is our land – Eket Stakeholder
By Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong
In this second epistle I still wish to remind Akwa Ibom State Government that Nigeria lost “The Oil Rich Bakassi Peninsula” to Cameroon simply because Chief Olusegun Obasanjo refused to listen to Obong Victor Attah advice.
And as a culture of democratic instituted administrations in Akwa Ibom State, advices given to them on critical issues by persons who are not in government are always regarded as noise, idiotic and rated as mere talk to please the moment.
Like in the current situation, I cannot grow horns to look like a monster to appear serious and competent to advise government when crises and flash points are building up to unsettle government and the rest of us. But as a civic responsible Nigerian and the society watch dog, I will always trigger an alarm to alert authorities of an impending danger.
The quest for ‘OBOLO STATE’ which earlier looked like an agitation is no more, but it has today become a feasible application before the National Assembly with identifiable depositors and signatories.
And the demand for the proposed ‘Obolo State’ which is hitherto the crude Oil basin of the present Akwa Ibom State is vigorously pushed by sponsors from Oro nation and Andony people of Rivers State, a credible source in the National Assembly confirms.
Dismissing it by describing it as a joke of the century as the Akwa Ibom State government is doing takes me aback and gets me appreciate the military in the management of security information.
In January 1995, I personally wrote to lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Bako, the military Administrator of Akwa Ibom State of that time about how Cameroon gendarmes and soldiers were torturing Nigerians in Bakassi Peninsula and encroaching our territory. I knew that because I have lived there briefly and had actionable intelligence about them. Lt. Col Bako in his reply to my letter invited me to Government House, Uyo for detailed intelligence gathering.
As young as I was that time, I went to see the Military Administrator, and uploaded all intelligence to him. On the strength of my report, Bako immediately deployed more troops to secure our people, lands and waters.
By way of appreciation for the information I gave to him, he told me to write an application to him seeking to work in AKBC.
I did that and the Military Administrator forwarded my letter to then Dr. Mbuk Mboho the DG of AKBC now Professor in AKSU to engage me in AKBC Radio or TV. A letter dated 8th February 1995 from AKBC was sent to me inviting me to 205 Aka Road, the AKBC Head office for discussion. Prof Mboho then minuted the letter from the Military Administrator to late Father Francis Mbaba for advice. The latter recommended that I should be engaged but put on probation for one year without salary. The offer to work without pay for one year caused me to decline the offer.
How is my 1995 encounter with Lt. Col. Yakubu Bako related to the present proposal to create Obolo State? They are related. Follow up, as I connect the dots:
Since I published Part One of this report on Monday 3rd February 2025, and whether by omission or by commission I attached my phone number on the post, I have never been this ‘stampeded’ by my readership.
Till date, I can’t do any other serious thing with my phone than to answer calls from within Nigeria and overseas about the creation of ‘Obolo State’
Calls from the great and the mighty from Oro nation, Ibeno and Eastern Obolo are always to alert me of their divorce, secession and calls to let them secede, because according to them, they have been long oppressed and marginalized by the majority.
Most times, the callers veer off their worries and accused me to be a member of the majority ‘oppressing’ them. Others will talk to me desiring that I should take action on some issues bordering them as if I was the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Space will fail me to express the discontentment of the Oro nation, the Ibeno and the Eastern Obolo people about how they were and are not fairly treated by past administrations and the present.
Most opulent callers within the country and others from outside the country will hold me spell bound for about an hour to reel out the degradation of their communities and their input in the economy of Akwa Ibom State.
While the secessionists spend much time to justify why they want to secede, callers from Eket, Esit Eket, Nkpat Enin and Ikot Abasi are uploading historical documentary evidences and court judgements on land disputes between Eket versus Ibeno, Ibeno versus Eket and other colonial litigations they had during the Opobo struggling with King Jaja into my WhatsApp inbox on daily basis.
A caller from Ibeno based in the United States of America said, since all efforts by their people to resolve the crises between the people of Eket and Ibeno seems to have failed, and they are “frustrated and abandoned by Akwa Ibom State government” that I should plead with the incumbent Governor of Akwa Ibom State Pastor Umo Eno to show us where natives of twelve gazatted villages with Village Heads in Ibeno Local Government Area will go to, including Okposo 1 which is the village of the current paramount ruler.
Other villages where indigenes are told to leave are: Inuayet Ikot, Esuk Ikim Ekeme, Esuk Ikim Aquaha, Ndito Eka Iba, Itak Ifaha, Atia, Itak Idim Ukpa, Itak Idim Ekpe, Itio Esek, Okon Ita and Okposo 2, she forwarded the list.
For the Eket nation, the ‘Obolo State’ should not be contemplated at all, because according to the Eket people, the entire Ibeno domain belong to the Eket nation. While the Ibeno have contrary historical documentary evidence, the Eket people warned: “You cannot create your state on someone else’s land. If you do, we are going to be perpetually at war”, an Eket politically exposed person alerted.
Summarily I have gathered a truck load of intelligence on the proposed “Obolo State’ creation that the Governor can add with what he has to undo the impending chaos building up along the coastline of the Atlantic ocean.
I like doing this from youth. Responding to calls of civic duty over any threat to the wellbeing of the masses anywhere, is an hobby.
Thus to prevent eventual chaos and deconstruct the flash points that are building up on daily basis on the coastline of the Atlantic ocean, I have personally alerted the Governor of Akwa Ibom State Pastor Umo Eno on my intelligence gathering through his WhatsApp handle.
I have told Governor Eno that there’s a way we can kill and bury the proposed Obolo State without spilling anyone blood, but he hasn’t reacted nor responded. Is governor Eno too busy? I wouldn’t know. But what I know is that, in our clime, advice to government from someone who is not in government is regarded as noise, idiotic and rated as mere talk to please the moment.
And moreso, when the advice is from someone you know, it emboldened the reason why he shouldn’t be taken seriously. Prophets are not respected in their hometown, they say.
Thirty years ago, when I had less experience and education in critical information gathering, I alerted Lt. Col Yakubu Bako about Nigerians at risk in Bakassi Peninsula, he immediately swung into action and saved the lives of many.
Sadly civilian governors are not like the military. Civilian governors everywhere are reactionary. Power ego always let them think they have all within the box. Often times they see many other effortless windows from outside the box. But instead of calling the promoter of such effortless way of escape for an interface to get detailed information to help them resolve a bleeding issue, they will rather use his information to make sketchy policies resting on sandy foundation. I have been victim of this countless times.
©️ 9newng.com
Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong is a Senior Editor of 9News Nigeria (www.9news.com) Reporting in English and French languages
E-mail: abasiekongabasiekong@gmail.com +234 8062700985
