C'River Insists Littoral Bid Is Fact-Based, Not Territorial Dispute with A'Ibom
Cross River State has clarified that its move to reclaim its littoral status is not an attempt to take over any part of Akwa Ibom State’s territory.
This was made known by the Special Adviser on Public Affairs to Governor Bassey Otu, Nsa Gill, during a media briefing in Calabar.
He said the clarification became necessary because some elders in Akwa Ibom had allegedly politicised the issue.
According to him, the debate goes beyond earlier Supreme Court decisions which some people believe have permanently stopped Cross River from accessing coastal benefits.
Gill explained that the state’s position is backed by scientific findings. He noted that Bakassi Local Government Area is still part of Cross River State and maintains access to the Gulf of Guinea, despite the 2002 International Court of Justice ruling that ceded portions of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
He disclosed that after reviewing the Bakassi Deep Seaport proposal, Governor Otu initiated concrete steps toward its actualisation. One of such steps was approving a hydrographic, geophysical and geotechnical survey of the proposed site. The contract was awarded to the National Hydrographic Agency under the Nigerian Navy. The exercise, carried out around Parrot and Tomshot Islands, generated essential data on soil structure, water depth and other technical requirements needed for the seaport project.
Gill further stated that the outcome of the survey has wider national importance. He said the findings could influence the understanding of the Gulf of Guinea and were formally presented to the President. Following this presentation, funding for the Bakassi Deep Seaport was approved through Afrexim Bank, with Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms assigned to manage the construction. He added that the survey also produced an updated nautical chart now recognised in the World Hydrographic Chart, creating revenue opportunities from maritime activities and strengthening the strategic relevance of the Cross River Estuary in areas of navigation, security and continental shelf claims.
According to him, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the President set up an Inter-agency Technical Committee to conduct field verification. The committee included representatives from Akwa Ibom State led by its Surveyor General, as well as officials from Cross River State, the Federal Surveyors General and other relevant federal agencies.
During the exercise, 239 crude oil and gas wellheads were plotted using modern scientific base maps. Gill said this exercise extended beyond the 76 oil wells previously awarded to Akwa Ibom in 2012 after a Supreme Court judgment, which Cross River maintains was carried out administratively without a comprehensive survey by the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
He maintained that Cross River’s demand is rooted in verifiable facts rather than political propaganda. Gill said Governor Otu remains determined to restore the state’s lost littoral status and reclaim the associated revenues that were redirected to Akwa Ibom following the 2012 judgment. He also expressed optimism that the eventual outcome would foster shared growth and development for residents of both states.
He concluded by stressing the national security importance of the Cross River Estuary and its offshore boundaries. He added that the 2002 ICJ ruling did not transfer the entire Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon, noting that the Cross River Estuary still exists within Nigeria’s territory and that no oil wells were ceded to Cameroon.
Gill therefore, questioned why the state should be denied access to resources it believes legitimately belong to it, especially when Nigeria did not surrender any oil wells to Cameroon.
