Theo Ogar
7 July 2009
opinion
Lagos — The very unfortunate action of the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission in the context of seizing the seventy six oil wells organically owned by Cross River State can best be described as coup-de-grace or, infact economic coup-d'tat to the psyche of Cross River State.
This is in view of the overt violation of the principle of due process and justice conspicuously inherent in such arbitrary action of the century.
For instance, it was absolutely wrong for the National Boundary Commission to have precipitated its action on the seizure of Cross River State 76 oil wells when that Commission is yet to round off its boundary delineation exercise in 2010, that is next year. Against such a backdrop, how did the National Boundary Commission arrive at its clearly hastened and ill-conceived decision to make it possible for Cross River State to lose its maritime territory and suddenly become a land-locked State?
Secondly, how come that the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission suddenly took to the delisting of Cross River State from the oil- bearing States in the Niger Delta region by ceasing to pay the State its monthly due of the 13% oil derivation since March, 2009. Did the Commission seek the approval of the higher authorities or was it working in deep collusion with the National Boundary Commission which by implications may be true?
Indeed, given the Bakassi scenario in the context of the judgment of the International Court of Justice at the Hague, the Green Tree Agreement in New York on June 12, 2006, and the continued role being played by Cross River State Government in the resettlement of displaced Nigerians from Bakassi, one becomes more sympathetic with the utter ignorance of both Commissions in seizing the Seventy six oil wells and consequent delisting of the State from the oil-bearing States in the Niger Delta region.
For as it stands, both the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission are not aware of the fact that until both Nigeria and Cameroun conclude their negotiation to finality and the international boundary fixed by the ICJ is modified and published, it would have been premature for any authority to determine the maritime boundary of both Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.
Accordingly, both the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilization, Allocationb and Fiscal Commission are equally unaware of the fact that no where in the contents of the Green Tree Agreement signed on June 12, 2006 was it decided that Cross River State should be deprived of its maritime and littoral status at the end of the day. Why then the unprovoked and invidious action by the two Federal Agencies to throw a big spanner on the wheels of progress of Cross River State through off-hand deprivation of its 76 oil wells rightly located in its littoral zone? Yet, of most significant imperative towards the immediate restoration of the 76 oil wells to Cross River State is the long-standing role that its people have been playing in the evolution of the Nigerian project and the minority question in the country.
Thus, apart from being the present capital of the State, Calabar is credited to be the capital of the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria in addition to being the headquarters of the Niger Delta Protectorate in colonial times.
In terms of the abrogation of the offshore-onshore dichotomy, major pillars and fighters were Cross Riverians. But today, Cross River State Government and its citizenry are under the ineluctable grip of triple-tragedy of deprivations.
First, is the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula which was painfully wrested from the real and original inhabitants of the area, that is Cross Riverians of today's real Cross River State.
The second tragedy is the social, psychological and financial burdens of accommodating all manner of Nigerians who trooped out of the Bakassi Peninsula following the ceding of the island to Cameroun. In this regard, the amount of funds sunk by Cross River State Government in the resettlement of the Nigerian returnees to the New Bakassi at Ekpri Obutong, Baklassi Local Government Area can best be imagined in structural terms.
The final and current tragedy being experienced by Cross River State is the unexpected and unjustifiable removal of the 76 oil well from the maritime zone of the State, a mind-blowing and jostling act committed by the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission. The two Federal Agencies in carrying out such untoward action have gone to the unbelievable extent to shock the world by saying that Cross River is land-locked as it has no maritime territory. Such is a tissue of falsehood which tends to substitute reality for illusion.
But the two Federal Agencies have so soon forgotten that when Bakassi was handed over to Cameroun under the Green Tree Agreement in 2006, it was clearly stated by the Federal Government that Nigeria is not losing any maritime territory and no oil wells would be lost. Indeed, the maritime territory and the oil wells were vested in Cross River State.
The question is, if Nigeria ceded no maritime territory or oil wells to Cameroun, how come Cross River is now said to have lost maritime status and oil wells which are even more than 76 in number?
Yet Cross River State has the third largest seaport and the best navigable estuaries in the country apart from wide maritime zone. That is why it is unfortunate for anyone to describe Cross River State as non-littoral and land-locked State.
All said, both the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission should retrace their steps by returning the 76 oil wells to Cross River State in view of palpable evidences that the State is organically blessed with maritime ecology with abundant oil wells.
Apart from that, every Nigerian must appreciate the fact that cross River State has been a perfect image of the Niger Delta region and indeed Nigeria.
To that extent, it will be unfortunate if the State is pushed to change that sustained profile and orientation through the deprivation of the 76 oil wells indisputably owned by Cross River State.
Apart from this, there is no doubt that for ages, especially in the context of the political evolution of Nigeria both the people of Cross River and Akwa Ibom States have inextricably been under a well-knit anthropological and sociological web.
And that is to say that the people of the two States are highly biologically related, best described as Siamese brothers who should never engage in any form of sibling rivalry.
Such a phenomenal relationship was reinforced in recent times through the proactive demonstration of excellent gestures by the people of both States from their top hierarchies down the line.
Accordingly, early in the year, both the Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke and his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Chief Godswill Akpabio had met in Calabar at a banquet where both Chief Executives called for the re-enactment of the organic relationship between the two States at all levels, in all human activities. Yet, Governor Akpabio was quoted as emphasizing that Akwa Ibom State would take active part in the 2009 Cross River Christmas Carnival.
Also, not quite long, the Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke with his Executive members and all the eighteen Local Government Area Chairmen in the State staged an unprecedented comprehensive retreat which lasted about a week in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
And last year, the Executive members of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly called for the re-enactment of unity between Cross River and Akwa Ibom States when they paid a courtesy call on their Cross River State counterparts in Calabar.
Indeed, a similar call for reintegrated relationship between the two States was two years ago made by the Annang Community in Calabar, while other groups and isolated voices from both States have continued to be heard in formal and non formal gatherings even at a point in time when Cross River is trying to reclaim its 76 oil wells. It can therefore be an acceptable reasoning that the existence of Cross River and Akwa Ibom States as part of the Nigerian Federation offers a captivating study in a historical antecedent, particularly in terms of what can be described as organic unity in biological terms. Again, it is interesting to note that when the people of the two States were under the South Eastern State or the old Cross River State monolith, the organic relationship that existed among them was very inspiring, intriguing and overwhelming in scope.
Such a relationship was characterized by private labour mobility, inter cross cultural marriages, and high level of ethnic fraternity and above all a demonstration of one political voice in national issues, particularly in terms of the elimination of the onshore-offshore oil dichotomy. And in fact, the tempo of such aspects of the relationship was maintained after the excision of Akwa Ibom State from the former Cross River State which now stands as Cross River State in a distinct geopolitical form.
Indeed, it is interesting to note that it is only Cross River and Akwa Ibom States that other Nigerians prefer to all the "the two sister States" because of their knowledge of the organic primordial ties between the two States.
It is against this background that one highly commends the weight thrown by both the Cross River and Akwa Ibom States Governors for the two sister States to rediscover themselves at all levels of human activities. In this regard, the socio-political and economic aspects of such a relationship cannot be over emphasized.
This is more so in view of the fact that the two States have continued to be pawns in the chess board of the country's political economy. In other words, the two States have been left behind in the political equation of the country, particularly in terms of high profile offices at the national level or prospects for one in future.
To that extent, there is no other way that the two sister -States can be relevant in the national political arena except they form a formidable bloc that would be used as a vehicle to achieve the dream of internal cohesion and national relevance.
This is the more reason why Akwa Ibom State should join Cross River State to resolve the oil well issue in a brotherly manner particularly in view of the fact that both States had earlier fought collectively for the abrogation of the off-shore/on-shore oil dichotomy.
Akwa Ibom State should be morally and economically concerned with the triple-tragedy of their sister State. Cross River, in the context of the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula to the Republic of Cameroun, the financial burden of accommodating the returnees from the Peninsula and the historic faux pas of the Boundary Commission which denied the State its 76 oil wells.
Ogar wrote from Calabar
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