Akaiso Eyo-Akaiso, Uyo.

The Coordinator of ORON -OBOLO state creation, Engr. Dr. Sampson Ngeregbara has described the proposed ORON-OBOLO state as a vision whose time must surely come, whether now or latter. He made the declaration against the backdrop of agitations by some self seeking individuals and groups opposing the vision on grounds which are neither here nor there.

The Coordinator who dismissed the claims by opposers with a wave of left hand as irrelevant at Four points Hotel, Ikot Ekpene, venue of the Senate Committee on 1999 Constitution Review for the South South zone, observed with chagrin the uproar caused by the opposers of the proposed state, describing it as diversionary.

“The sitting was not meant for that, rather it was an opportunity offered on a platter of gold by President Tinubu who has made our agitation simpler through the construction of Lagos -Calabar highway traversing Ibeno, for people to come forward and table their grievances and see the area that should be amended in the 1999 constitution.
Or what should be added to accommodate all interest in the envisaged constitution that will be acceptable by everybody.

“Many memoranda for new states were presented by people from other states, nobody opposed anybody. But when it came to the turn of OBOLO STATE there was commotion and rowdiness which nearly brought down the roof of the hotel.
People carried placards with inscriptions spewing spurious and unsubstantiated lies,” the coordinator fumed.

The Revered Engineer who re emphasized that the creation of proposed Obolo State will bring development, not only to the proposed state itself but will extend same to even those shouting “Akwa Ibom One State” and the nation at large, picked areas of contention in their protest one after the other, stating that Obolo State will not be sited on an inch of any Ibibio land.

“The land we are living belongs to us. There is no evidence, historically or otherwise, that the land we are living belongs to Ibibio people or anyone else. We migrated from Usakhedek in Central Africa through Bakassi Peninsula and Nsidung in Calabar and have occupied the land for centuries, engaging in fishing and maritime trade.
So for somebody to now rise up to say they own the land, that is figment of their imagination”, he added.

Noting that when Akwa Ibom State was to be carved out from the erstwhile Cross River State, the same chameleon people protested, saying that they will be marginalized by the people they are now teaming up with to frustrate creation of ORON -OBOLO state.

On the issue of contiguity and cultural affinity, the Oro people of five local governments, namely Oron, Urue offong/ Oruko, Mbo, Okobo and Udung Uko from Akwa Ibom State and Obolo people from Rivers State are from the same progeny.
“We are the sons of Doni the same blood flows through us. We were balkanized when Cross River State was carved out and Andoni sent to Rivers State, but during the South Eastern State era we were together without problem.
“We are of the opinion that we should be allowed to stay together with our brothers in Akwa Ibom. Granting our request will help Nigeria as a nation”, he pleaded.

The erudite coordinator who itemized qualifications for consideration of the proposed state, to include a landmass of over 10,000km, eighth local governments, enough natural and human resources and adequate population, condemned in totality action in whatever guise to configure a map to give some landlock local governments of the state a littoral right that they don’t deserve.

Equally, he frowned at the idea by some people who went to school but are still behaving as if they didn’t, by flaunting a spurious judgement that predated independence together with a map that is a subject of litigation as basis for their claims.

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