Theo Ogar
7 July 2009
(Page 2 of 2)
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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