By Emmanuel Aziken
ABUJA—All three Senators and eight members of the House of Representatives from Cross River State yesterday declared a two week hunger strike to protest what they claimed as the unjust transfer of seventy-six oil wells from the State.
The legislators at a briefing yesterday lamented that the transfer of the oil wells, coming after the contentious transfer of Bakassi to Cameroon was another way of relegating their rights in the country.
The legislators led by Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (PDP, Cross River South), the chairman of the Cross River National Assembly caucus said the transfer of the oil wells to Akwa Ibom State was strange in the sense that there was no boundary dispute between the two States.
They further asserted that it was strange that while Bakassi was transferred to Cameroon from Cross River that the oil wells from the State were taken to Akwa Ibom.
Senator Ewa-Henshaw was flanked by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) and all eight members of the House of Representatives from the State. The legislators vowed that at the end of the two week hunger strike they would review their positions if their demands were not positively addressed.
“This action is despicable, unwholesome and a calculated attempt to defraud and deprive the good people of Cross River State of their natural endowment with a long standing genealogical antecedents. T
he decision of the International Court of Justice has left the State with festering refugee crisis, caused substantial social dislocations, and inflicted a heavy financial burden and a deep seated scar on the psyche of the people.
“It should be stated that this was not by any act of omission or commission by the people of Cross River. But sadly they are being made to pay an even higher price for this sad chapter in the nation’s history. Some people are determined to add insult to our injury”.
This is unfortunate. After deep reflection, we have come to the conclusion that it will be insensitive for us to pretend that all is well when our people feel the full weight of deprivation occasioned by the wicked and illegal denial of resources which should rightly accruable to them.
“Since some greedy brigands would rather see our people starve to death and our State brought to its knees, we as their representatives have decided to stand in unity with them. To sink or swim with them. We will therefore, beginning immediately, embark on a two week hunger strike to emphasize the seriousness of this situation and the collective pain we feel. But we must warn that the people of Cross River have had enough. They have been pushed far enough.’’
“They now have their back to a concrete wall and can go no further. It is unacceptable that they should be cheated, abused, degraded and deprived simply because they are honest law abiding, peace loving, accommodating and responsible people.
In 2005, the boundary between Cross River and Akwa Ibom was delineated to the satisfaction of both states. All the critical factors taken into consideration, RMAFC and the present leadership of the National Boundary Commission should in the overriding interest of peaceful coexistence between the two States retrace its steps and abide by the 2005 boundary delineation exercise.
we cannot be deceive, if you guys are serious about your hunger strike, to show you love your motherland , you guys should committ sucide. Give this well to those that can make the best use of it to betterment of their people. you guys are all prodigal son. Na hunger go kill una .
ISI EWU HEADS. You cant deceive us again . Fools
people like BA , Adason joshua should just be thrown into the sea to drown, simple!!!.Attacking Akwa Ibom will not solve your problem.What if the wells were given to Cameroon, will you be attacking akwa ibom? Face the situation on ground and try to resolve it amicably, instead of running your smelling rotten mouths here exposing your stupidity, Why didnt you riot when Bakassi was lost? people actually suffered, the so called legislators did not go on hunger strike.this is happening bcos their pockets are affected directly, this is affecting BA bcos he is their siphon agent in the US. sorry!, get a new job, and let REAL Cross riverians talk and not ostracized people like you and Adason Joshua. Eyo Nsa , Ekpo_Eyen Ita, God Bless you, Political Solution is the best!!!! not the Whimpings of BA and Co.
It’s good news that the lawmakers from Cross River State have decided to lend their voice on the nagging issue. Our government is simply a government of deceit in the sense that while some palliative measures like amnesty are being experimented in the Niger Delta region, the same “wayo” government is trying to stir the hornet’s nest. This “Gestapo” type of premeditated robbery must stop if the present administration hopes to achieve its “whatever” point agenda.
The thinking and summation of people like BA/USA frightens me. You see, the problem here is NBC and not definitely Akwa Ibom. Picking on Akwa Ibom is like making the same mistake (though on purpose), that President George Bush of America did, when he went to war with Iraq, when he should have pursued the Taliban and Osama bin Laden into the mountain ranges of Afghanistan. He choose a ’soft’ target, Iraq. Forced his nation and by extension, the whole world into this ‘meltdown’.
ICJ and Ajibola, who slept all through the hearings, are also culpable, the loss of the oilwells are only PART of the collateral damage from the excision of Bakassi from Nigeria. The rest is coming.
As for the ‘Honourables’ going on hunger strike – I laugh! Forget all those contractors in Abuja. And the Elders Forum! Haba, Ani, an Elder, accountant, contractor! We still remember the Ikot Ekpene – Aba Road.
Please remove the charlatans, lets the courts look into the matter.
As for Gov. Godswill Akpabio, the guy has too many problems at the home front to understand this one. No wonder he wanted to do a correspondence course in Harvard. But he can still sit with the man with funny eyes, Imoke, and work something out. For peace sake, sha
The 76 oil wells in dispute are not mobile and had nothing to do with Akwa Ibom State, even before the ICJ judgment, so how come they suddenly moved there? How come the wells have become subject of manipulations by different Nigerian Presidents? This is simply militancy on the part of the federal government, and I think the targets are the good people of Cross River and Akwa Ibom States. Somebody should please tell President Yar’Adua that he can ill-afford additional heat in the Niger Delta.
God bless these parliamentarians,it really shows the good people of Cross River state are not in this ungodly conspiracy alone.The NBC and RMAFC should really be x-rayed as prescribed by BA.Men like Bassey should be taken to rehabilitation homes where under serious supervision,he should be taught on ’society and communication’.Tata as he’s called talks like his name,needless of addressing his situation,in due time he will grow.
BA, it is people like you who always think of bribe that should be investigated. It is a surprise that your stay in USA as you claim has not changed the corrupt way you reason.
Please, if you want to comment on the issues of the oil well research voraciously so that you will be well informed about the issues at stake about Bakassi and the76 oil wells.
It is people like you who will also call for the probe of the ICJ that ruled that Bakassi is a territory in Cameroun and not Nigeria.
Please, get it into your head that Bakassi never belonged to Nigeria; hence the oil wells couldn’t have belonged to Cross River.
Will you be surprised, if in future it is proven that the 76 oil wells are located in Cameroun’s maritime territory and not Akwa Ibom state?
Please broaden your mind and comment on issues sensibly so as not to spread ignorance over the Bakassi issue.
Bye.
This paliamentarians are decieving thier people. Hunger-strike when thier wives are busy preparing them good food.
Political solution is the best option. Both government should meet and decide in good faith. Else Cross River stand to be a loser in this case.
after the parliamentarians have lost a little weight, would cross river secede?
Godwill Akpabio, the heads of RMAFC and the NBC should be investigated by the EFFC to determine how much of Akwa Ibom state ’s money Akpabio used to bribe them into compromising their respective offices. I am as just as confused as a lot of well meaning nigerians as to why the oil wells that were originally in bakassi LG which incidentally is still constitutionally in CRS (Yet to be legally expunged from the constitution) ended up in Akwa Ibom while the old Bakassi went to cameroun. For the record, Akpabio should be held responsible and liable for the present financial problems being experienced by CRS and her people. To this end I call on the leadership of Calabar vis a vis CRS to declare him a persona non grata anywhere in the state. It is quite obvious this man does not wish the state well and no actions should be spared by the state to protect its resources and people.
2) I congratulate the politicians from the state for their actions and urge them to introduce a resolution in the house and senate declaring the bogus boundary adjustment by NBC null and void and an attempt by the NBC to perform a statutory duty of the National Assembly.
3) The state legislature should immediately enact a bill that will bar any government job in the state from going to non-native (those not born to CRS parents) cross riverians. All those who gained employement through the use of indeginisation certificates should be transfered to their state of birth until the finances of the state improves.
4) The state as a matter of urgency should seek clarification from the courts and other relevant federal agencies about the powers and limitations of the National Boundary Commission in matters involving boundary demarcation between states of the federation.
5) If it is established that these two federal agencies and Akwa Ibom state acted inappropraitely and with malaise for the sole purpose of denying CRS access to her resources either through ommission or commission, CRS should press for restitution, collateral damages, and punitive damages from all the parties involved to prevent such blatant abuse of power from ever being used against it.
BA/USA