Abdul-Rahman Abubakar and Turaki A. Hassan
3 July 2009
Eleven lawmakers representing Cross River State in the National Assembly have embarked on two-weeks hunger strike to press for reversal of the decision of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the National Boundary Commission (NBC) to allocate 76 disputed oil wells to Akwa Ibom State.
Briefing newsmen yesterday, the Cross River State caucus in the National Assembly led by Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (PDP, Cross River South) described as fraudulent, moves by the agencies to deprive the state of revenue accruable from the disputed oil wells located in the maritime boundary with neighbouring Akwa Ibom State.
According to Senator Ewa-Henshaw: "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. 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."
Also commenting on the matter, Deputy Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) said "it is a moral weapon we are using to appeal to the conscience and sensitivity of Nigerians to feel how serious the matter is. We are a government that is governed by constitution, not by whims and caprices of some people."
The Cross River lawmakers said the RMAFC and the NBC have wrongfully termed their state a non-oil producing state soon after Bakassi was ceded to Cameroun saying, "we are persuaded by these patently corrupt, illegal, unconstitutional and brazen actions to declare that the RMFAC has in this instance clearly acted against the collective national interest of all of us as Nigerians at the behest of invisible forces or interest and only the reversal of this decision by the Federal Government will mitigate the enormous injustice meted out to the people Cross River State."
Earlier Senator Ewa-Henshaw said the lawmakers from the state will exploit all available alternatives to reverse the decision of the government agencies including litigation.
"Bakassi was not ceded to Akwa Ibom State but to Cameroon. Oil wells belonging to Cross River before ceding Bakassi can only be claimed by Cameroon or remain in Cross Rivers because this is the only area where territory changed hands. Our decision to declare our stand now is born out of our strong desire for peace and our firm belief that for peace, unity and progress to reign, there is urgent need for the two States to work together in true partnership in which no party will fee shortchanged. We fervently hope that common sense will prevail. A word is enough for the wise," he said.
The lawmakers on hunger strike include; Senators Ewa-Henshaw, Ndoma-Egba and Greg Ngaji. From the House of Representatives, 8 members from Cross River State are currently on hunger strike. They include; Reps. John Eno, Alex Ukam, Bassey Ewa, Prince Bassey, Paul Ada, Gabriel Eddy and Chris Eta.
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