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- Insists on Supreme Court judgement
- Political solutions not foreclosed provided it doesn’t deny Akwa Ibom their rights
From Isaac Job, Uyo
Akwa Ibom state government has brought more facts to counter fresh agitations by Cross River state government over 76 oil wells decided in favour of Akwa Ibom through Supreme Court judgement in 2012.
In a detailed statement signed by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Uko Udom (SAN) and made available to Journalists in Uyo at the weekend, the state government insists that the apex court ruling remains sacrosanct, non negotiable and eternal.
Udom explained that Cross River state lost their littoral status through ruling by International Court of Justice in 2002 which ceded the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
The statement reads in parts:
“A critical legal and geographical fact underpinning this matter is the 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment ceding the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
” This effectively stripped Cross River State of littoral status and rendered it ineligible to claim offshore oil assets—a fact confirmed by the Supreme Court.”
Udom recalled that the Vice President Kaheem Shettima has convened a meeting where governors of Cross River and Akwa Ibom were encouraged to meet and amicably recommend a political solution.
” As Chairman of the South-South Progressive Governors’ Forum, the Governor of Cross River State was expected to initiate this engagement by inviting the Governor of Akwa Ibom State to settlement talks.
“Unfortunately, instead of embracing dialogue, the Cross River Government chose to prosecute this process through media platforms and public statements that are capable of infuriating the process.
“Even more concerning, several officials of the Cross River State Government have made incendiary and patently false claims that have agitated the people of Akwa Ibom State and introduced an unwarranted sense of apprehension.
“It is for this reason that we are compelled, once again, to set the records straight.”
He said Akwa Ibom State is opened to a political solution, provided such does not seek to deny the people their lawful and judicially-affirmed rights.
“However, political solution cannot be limited to the matter of the 76 oil wells. It must also address the Akwa Ibom communities added to Cross River State.
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“These were the two issues considered by the supreme court in determining the land and maritime boundaries between Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State”.
He therefore urged the federal government to explore other policies and fiscal options to assist Cross River in mitigating the economic effects of the International Court of Justice judgement on Cross River
“For instance, ecological funds, environmental remediation programmes, and interventions under the South-South Development Commission could be directed to address and support genuine needs without dispossessing Akwa Ibom of its legitimate entitlements.”
