Date Published: 07/23/09

Dear Editor,

Akwa Ibom, Attah, Cross River and "Overkills"

It was Festus Eriye, a columnist, writing in The Nation newspaper of July 15, 2009 page 15 under a second heading ….Akwa Ibom overkill. In that piece, he said “Ever since the (Attah’s) letter found its way into the papers, all hell has been let loose. Everyone from traditional rulers to senators, local government chairmen to motor-park touts, published advertisements excoriating Attah”. He went further to conclude “But the orchestrated response of the Akpabio camp has been excessive. They have gone after their foe with a sledgehammer where a suitably acerbic response or two would have done.  In the end, all they have succeeded in doing is coming across as rattled and insecure.”

With the above, I would say that Akwa Ibom goverrnment, once again, is moving for “overkill”; this time in its case with Cross River. It has gone to Supreme Court asking the court to declare that the 75 oil wells in dispute with Cross River indeed belong to Akwa Ibom; fine. But the overkill here is that Akwa Ibom is asking the court to order Cross River to refund to it the sum of N31.36billion, which Cross River had benefited for the period it controlled the oil wells.  It did not stop at that, Akwa Ibom is asking that the 24 villages with Cross River should be reverted to (Akwa Ibom) it. 

This is a demand too complex: Cross River since losing derivation from the oil blocks to Akwa Ibom, can no longer run the affairs of the State with the meager fund that now accrues to it. Therefore, from where does Akwa Ibom expect it to cough out an already spent fund of N31.36billion? Please do not let this overkill, after all the two are sister-states.

By the way why didn’t Akwa Ibom sue Rivers as well on the returned 110 oil wells since Rivers has gone to court for reversion?

Dike P. Odu

299 Ozomagala Street

ONITSHA, Anambra State.

dikeodu@yahoo.com