Governor Umo Eno has reaffirmed that the 76 oil wells, which have been a subject of renewed contention, rightly belong to Akwa Ibom State as decided by the Supreme Court in two separate judgements.
There has been fresh agitation by the Cross River Government for a review of the decision, which has generated apprehension and tension between the two states.
Speaking at the Victor Attah International Airport, the governor expressed strong confidence in the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, noting that the President places a high premium on the rule of law in administering the country.
“There are two Supreme Court judgements that gave Akwa Ibom State the right to those oil wells. We are not sharing maritime boundaries with Cross River State but with the Republic of Cameroun, and the Nigerian Supreme Court has said so twice to establish this fact,” he explained.
He urged the people of the State to remain calm, emphasising that “there is no cause for alarm. The people on the other side may cook up any story they want and raise propaganda, but this propaganda has no effect in the face of the two Supreme Court decisions establishing our ownership of the oil wells. This is not about sentiments.”
Reaffirming his faith in due process, he stated, “I believe in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; I believe that the rule of law will be respected; I believe that we cannot throw away Supreme Court decisions twice on this particular matter.”
He stressed that the matter is one of established facts, not emotions. “If we were to talk about sentiments, then Cross River State should equally contest the allocation of many Ibibio-speaking villages of Itu LGA in Akwa Ibom State to Cross River State. Why are they coming up now to whip up sentiments when irrefutable facts on the oil wells have already been established?” he queried.
“Facts are sacrosanct, and you cannot push them under the carpet with sentiments. Let our people remain calm because our President is a man who respects the rule of law,” he added.
Meanwhile, Uko Udom, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, has stated that
“No inter-agency committee, no technical panel, and no institutional process can alter, amend, reinterpret, or sit in appeal over a judgement of the Supreme Court.”
Udom said, “Any action inconsistent with a subsisting judgement of the apex court would be unconstitutional, null, and void.”
Addressing a press conference in Uyo on Monday, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice maintained that “all the oil wells in question, whether existing or newly referenced, lie within Akwa Ibom State’s recognised maritime and littoral boundaries based on established hydrographic coordinates and legally enforceable boundary adjudications.
“Their attribution followed due process and relied on empirical geographic data”, adding that
“No oil well has been ceded, no Supreme Court judgement has been overturned and no constitutional provision has been amended.”
He expressed the readiness of the state government to remain vigilant and be fully committed to protecting the economic interests of the state.
“We are following every institutional process closely, participating where required, and asserting our rights lawfully and firmly.
“Akwa Ibom State will not surrender its God-given resources. We will not relinquish what rightfully belongs to our people under the Constitution and under binding judicial authority.
“Our resources are held in trust for present and future generations, and this government will defend them responsibly, peacefully, and resolutely.
“We urge our citizens to remain calm, united, and confident. The foundation of our position is law. The strength of our case is geography. The shield of our rights is the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he stated.
