By INIOBONG SUNDAY, Uyo
Ulok Ulok Progressives Assembly, UUPA, an apex socio-cultural association for Ibeno ethnic nationality, has condemned a social media report on the controversial new map, dismantling the old boundaries around the coastal oil bearing communities of Akwa Ibom State.
The report titled; “Court Judgements, Historical Documents, Validate ‘Controversial’ Akwa Ibom Map Law” has drawn the ire of the elders, leaders and stakeholders of the Ibeno ethnic nationality, who described the report as as “a figment of the purveyors’ imagination and a ploy to intimidate the court which the matter is currently pending”.
The group, in a swift reaction yesterday in Upenekang, headquarters of the local government area, called on the public to disregard the mischievous publication tended to divert attention of the people from the truth of the matter.
Secretary of Ibeno Clan Council, Chief Udofia Okon Udofia, on behalf of the group said, the failed re-mapping project was one of the wrong doings of former Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration.
“The aim was to reallocate the oil and gas resources belonging to other communities in the litoral local government areas of the State to his home LGA of Onna, in order to access host community benefits under the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021”, he noted
Chief Udofia noted that, the Court had earlier delivered judgement on the matter in favour of the Eastern Obolo ethnic nationality including Ibeno, even before the former governor hurriedly assented to the Bill.
He further explained that, the controversial remapping Law which was hurriedly enacted on the orders of the immediate past administration has continued to generate tensions and crisis in the affected LGAs.
According to him, “the former governor had sent the Executive Bill to the House of Assembly in 2023, seeking the House to enact a law creating a new map to address boundary issues in some oil communities around Mbo, Ibeno, Eastern Obolo, Mkpat Enin, Ikot Abasi and other local government areas, with the hope that the new map would diffuse tension and create a sense of belonging amongst the litoral LGAs”.
But rather than bring peace to the state, the Bill which was hurriedly passed by the House of Assembly and signed into law by the then governor, shortly before leaving office in 2023, according to him, has led to perennial ethnic killings amongst the litoral local government areas of Eastern Obolo, Ikot Abasi, Ibeno, Eket and Esit Eket LGAs, as the contenders argued the mutilated original boundaries in the state High Court.
However, the failed re-mapping project had generated mixed reactions from the people. While a few supported it, majority of the state’s stakeholders have opposed the idea, saying, “it will breed disunity and confrontation amongst the people of the coastal areas.”
The Paramount Ruler of Eket, Edidem ECD Abia; the apex socio-cultural organisation – Ekid People’s Union, EPU, led by the President- General ,PG, Dr. Samuel Udonsak are in support of the new map, arguing that the state never had a map.
But, stakeholders from the oil – rich Ibeno ethnic nationality and their Obolos, and the Ijaw kinsmen in Mbo and Eastern Obolo LGAs, have kicked against the unilateral decision to remap their boundaries, describing the action as “illegal and politically – motivated, rather than necessity”.
For a lasting peace, Chief Udofia, appealed to the governor, Pastor Umo Eno, to use his good offices to address the boundary anomalies to stop further bloodshed around the oil and gas host communities.
He queried the motive behind the creation of a new map, “when Akwa Ibom, as a political entity created by an Act of Parliament, already had a map with the boundary lines of all the LGAs specifically drawn”.
He added that, only political intervention would address the issues in dispute and avert further skirmishes and bloodshed witnessed since the launch of the controversial map.
“We are calling on the governor to withdraw the new map and revert to the old order because more deaths and destruction are looming in the coastal communities.
“The former governor never consulted the people through community engagements before taking the decision to muddle up the boundaries and putting a knife to the values of good neigbourliness as different ethnic nationalities in the same coastal plane.
“The major reason behind the wanton killings and destruction of our ecosystems by the infamous boundary adjustments could be located in the mischievous ploy by the former governor to connect his Onna LGA to the Atlantic because of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, so as to enable his community to access the 3 percent derivation appropriation to litoral LGAs.
“Now, the question is, do states have overriding powers to legislate and alter existing boundaries without recourse the federal laws?
“The matter is currently in Court and the recent sitting has given us cause the justice would served rightly for such impunity to be put to rest.
“That is why we took the matter to court on realization, because the issue is part of the problems we are having now with our Ekid neighbours, who are cashing in on the boundary politics to attempt a take over of our lands at Ndito Eka Iba village in Ibeno East, which they try to rename Okoiyak Ekid, Eket Local Government.
Mr Okon further stated that, “it does not lie within the purview of the State Government to create Local Government Areas boundaries. Before the purported re – mapping, the people of Eastern Obolo LGA, during the period of the House of Assembly public hearing had taken the state government to Court and won”.
“The court judgment then clearly stated that, the State or House of Assembly have no right to entertain or do anything concerning the boundaries between one LGA and another; that, it is exclusively the responsibility of the federal government under the Attorney General/Minister of Justice and the Surveyor-General of the Federation.
“So, with the judgment, the State Government definitely has no authority to carry out the mapping or re – mapping of any Local Government Area boundaries”.
He, therefore, advised those behind the illegal re mapping project to focus on the case in court and stop the propaganda.
