By Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong
About the creation of ‘Obolo State’ and perhaps the creation of another state from the present Akwa Ibom State, you should be patient with me to read through this lengthy piece to see how Akwa Ibom State Government is about to make the same mistake the Federal Government of Nigeria made to lose Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
The creation of ‘Obolo State’ to be carved out from Akwa Ibom and Rivers States is another loss of the oil rich domain of Akwa Ibom State to leave it in shred, after this state (Akwa Ibom State) has been milked dry by promoters and sponsors of the new State.
Indeed carving ‘Obolo State’ from Akwa Ibom State is the second episode of loss of deep/rich oil wells in the similitude of Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
Bakassi Peninsula, originally and naturally situated in Nigeria territory and otherwise known and addressed as “The Oil Rich Bakassi Peninsula” is the richest global oil deposit storing in its basin 33% of crude oil found in the entire world, but Nigeria lost it to Cameroon in 2002 just because the President of Nigeria at that time, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo refused to listen to Obong Victor Attah former Governor of Akwa Ibom State because of the latter’s insistence to secure oil revenue for Niger Delta States through Onshore/Offshore Dichotomy legal battle.
Throughout the legal fireworks to reclaim Bakassi Peninsula, Nigeria appeared at the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC) in the Hague in Geneva bare hand with no substantial documentary evidence.
When Obong Victor Attah was asked why Nigeria lost in ICC he said (I quote in part):
“The determination was to keep Obong Victor Attah out because if we have succeeded, Akwa Ibom would want to claim the oil wells.
This is because Obasanjo had determined to give them to Cross River State. They kept me out and refused to take any of the documents I had as evidence. They however went to The Hague and fumbled”
“There was nothing I did not do to save the situation. Even if we lacked ancient history, we should remember the villages were fishing villages, where people go to for fishing and come back after the fishing season. That place was called Apkabana and is now Bakassi. All the villages were named after existing towns and most of them were in Akwa Ibom and not even in Cross River State”.
“I tried my best and I even came out with a paper I presented to show that those people had their roots and Bishopric in Eket before it moved to Oron. They owed everything to Nigeria. You must also remember that at that time, Western Cameroon was part of Nigeria. I also tried to remind everybody concerned that the Certificate of Occupancy for the military barrack in Bakassi was signed by a military governor in Akwa Ibom”, unquote.
And just because Chief Obasanjo was too wise in his own eyes, so Nigeria lost the Oil Rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in 2002 and President Goodluck Jonathan who had the backing of Senator David Mark led National Assembly who pressurized him (Jonathan) to call for the review the ICC judgement which was presided by French judge and in French language at the detriment of Nigeria, but the President who was always lilly hearted refused but went ahead to signed the Green Tree Agreement and handed over Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in 2006.
In that the end of the road for Nigeria Oil Rich Bakassi Peninsula? The answer is NO. There are about tree other windows to exploit to reclaim that domain for Nigeria. But that is another big story for another day.
But just like Nigeria, née Akwa Ibom State lost Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon 2006, this same state (Akwa Ibom State) will soon be losing the entire Oro nation, Ibeno and Eastern Obolo Local Government Areas to be annexed to Andony Local Government Area area of Rivers State to constitute ‘Obolo State’. [See mapping attached]
The above will happen if Akwa Ibom State government does not embark on a thorough housekeeping duty before she is taken unaware.
As at today, Akwa Ibom State is the largest Oil producer in Nigeria, and this status of advantage over others has attracted many enemies to the state even from within.
According to various sources, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Akwa Ibom State is the largest producers of oil and gas in Nigeria with an impressive output of about 504,000 barrels of oil per day (BOPD) accounting for about 31.4% of Nigeria’s total oil production, making it the largest oil-producing state in the country.
And Akwa Ibom State ‘s oil exploration is mainly concentrated in offshore fields in some wells located within the territorial boundaries of theses Local Government Areas which will soon be part of ‘Obolo State’.
As it stands, what is Akwa Ibom State Government doing to ensure she doesn’t lose those oil wells and LGAs?
As the recent widely published new states creation intention of the National Assembly, unfolds, most states which are going to be affected by mischievous applications and unnecessary demands for a new state have started consulting, meeting critical stakeholders, traditional rulers, including sending their respective state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to the National Assembly to confirm the status of some applications with intent and purpose to reconcile issues where necessary.
In Akwa Ibom, if the Governor, Pastor Umo Eno loses guard in this matter, he will be blamed by posterity for letting Akwa Ibom State become a landlocked state in his time as Chief Olusegun Obasanjo will ever be remember in history to be Nigeria President who lost “The Oil Rich Bakassi Peninsula” to Cameroon.
With the list of new states already publicized by the National Assembly, the intention of the applicants is now far from being a fiction and assumption and on the other hand it is going to be a hard nut for some governors to crack as they must have to show capacity in negotiation and deployment of all constitutional executive power to protect the interest of the state and its people.
In Akwa Ibom State Pastor Umo Eno must show capacity by ensuring that the state as it was handed over to him is not fractionalized, decimated and
shredded.
But to some of us who are critical thinkers always searching for way out of any form of puzzle, I can assure HE Pastor Umo Eno that there’s a way out from this political gridlock.
Read Part Two of this article to see recommendations of how to resolve this crisis without spilling no blood.
To be continued in Part Two…
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Samuel Abasiekong-Abasiekong is a senior Editor of 9News Nigeria, reporting in English and French languages
E-mail: [email protected] +234 8062700985
