By Jimitota Onoyume, Port Harcourt

RIVERS State government has expressed satisfaction with the verdict of the Supreme Court on its oil wells that were ceded to Akwa Ibom State about two years ago. Chief Press Secretary to the governor of the state, Mr Blessing Wikina, in a telephone chat, said though the state was yet to study the judgement in details, it was happy with what it had heard so far on the issue.

Stressing that the state was not at war with its neighbouring Akwa Ibom State, Wikina lauded the ruling. He said the ruling had again proved that people should explore peaceful means to resolve matters.

“We are not at war with Akwa Ibom State. We only tried to protest the injustice meted to us by the Revenue Mobilisation Commission. They illegally took our oil wells and gave them to Akwa Ibom State. They are not Boundary Commission or Surveyor General to do what they did.  This also tells everybody that they should learn to utilise due process to resolve issues. We only protested injustice.” He said Governor Rotimi Amaechi was probably going to also speak on the development when he comes back to the state.

On his part, president, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, Ledum Mitee said it was good that all parties in the issue subjected themselves to the court. “It is good that all parties subjected themselves to the court”. When pressed for further comments, he said he could only speak extensively as a lawyer after he had seen the judgement.

Chairman, Trade Union Congress, TUC, in Rivers State, Mr Chika Onuegbu hailed the verdict, noting that it had further strengthened confidence in the judiciary. “The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Rivers State Council congratulates the government and people of Rivers State on the Supreme Court judgement ordering the Akwa-Ibom State Government to transfer to Rivers State the 86 oil wells belonging to Rivers State with all the revenues which accrued from the oil wells since April 2009, including interest on sum revenue at 8% per annum.”

“This judgement has further strengthened our faith in the judiciary and rule of law. It also restates the need for government officers to respect all extant agreements freely and validly entered by their predecessors. We thank God Almighty for the victory as this will enable the government of Rivers State to speed up the on-going development projects in the state as well as take up new ones. It is a victory for democracy and justice”, he said.

When contacted for comment on phone, Senator Lee Maeba, representing Rivers East senatorial district and Chairman Senate Committee on Petroleum resources (Upstream,) said he was not aware of the ruling. Many others also contacted said they had not heard of the ruling before the call from Sunday Vanguard.
Meantime, some of them still tried to react to the development. A foremost civil rights activist in Rivers State, Mr Anyakwe Nsirmovu, said the verdict was a welcome development. “This is what justice is all about”.

Chairman, Conference of Ethnic Nationalities of Niger Delta, CENND, Professor Kimse Okoko, advised all parties in the suit to show understanding in the face of the judgement. He said Akwa Ibom would probably had wished to challenge it but since it came from the apex court, there was no other place it could take the matter. “So there was need for understanding by all parties”.