Oil Wells Dispute Rekindle Tension Between Akwa Ibom, Cross River As Otu, Udom Talk Tough
Benjamin GBOR
A renewed oil wells dispute between Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State has ignited sharp reactions from both governments, with each state vowing to protect its economic interests.
The controversy follows reports that Cross River State could be re-listed as an oil-producing state after the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) received a report from a Federal Government Inter-Agency Committee tasked with determining the location of oil and gas assets nationwide.
But Akwa Ibom State has firmly rejected any suggestion that its 76 oil wells are up for reallocation.
Addressing journalists in Uyo, the Attorney General, Uko Udom, insisted that no oil well has been ceded and no Supreme Court judgment has been overturned.
According to him, the document submitted to RMAFC is only a draft report and not a binding resolution.
“All oil wells in question lie within Akwa Ibom’s legally recognized maritime boundaries. No technical panel can override the Supreme Court,” he stated.
He warned that any attempt to contradict existing judgments would be unconstitutional and void.
“Nobody Can Deny Us” — Otu Fires Back
On the other side, Governor Bassey Otu struck a defiant tone while addressing a large crowd of supporters at Calabar airport.
Reflecting on the loss of Bakassi Peninsula following the 2002 International Court of Justice ruling, Otu said Cross River had made sacrifices in the interest of national unity.
“The ceding of Bakassi was for peace. It was not for Cross River State to lose its oil well. Nobody can deny us our rights. And that time has come,” he declared.
While RMAFC has clarified that no final decision has been taken, the development has reopened old wounds in the South-South region.
With constitutional finality on one side and renewed political determination on the other, the oil wells issue may once again test Nigeria’s federal structure and the delicate politics of resource control.
THE BEAGLE NEWS
