Sen. Helen Esuene (PDP- Akwa Ibom) says Akwa Ibom will not view the Supreme Court’s decision on the 76 oil wells as a victory over Cross River.
Esuene said this when she spoke to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja on the Supreme Court judgment affirming Akwa Ibom as the owner of the 76 oil wells.
“A victory between brothers or sisters is not really a victory because in the first instance, we shouldn’t even have gone to the court. We should have settled it out of court.
“Akwa Ibom and Cross River are brothers and sisters. We are one people. It’s only a political demarcation that places us in two different states.
“I see it as an issue of no victor, no vanquished.
“I think we may still have to come back home and look at how we can take care of the situation as brothers and sisters.’’
Esuene said that Cross River lost its claim to the oil wells following the ceeding of Bakassi to Cameroun.
According to her, the oil wells are allocated to Akwa Ibo purely on technical grounds and not because the Akwa Ibom people are trying to outsmart Cross River people.
“Immediately the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Bakassi should go to Cameroun, automatically Cross River lost its seaward boundary.’’
Esuene regretted that some people pursued the matter with sentiments and intent to cause bad blood between the two states.
She advised the Akwa Ibom government to ensure judicious utilisation of the oil resources to develop basic infrastructure that would have direct impact on the lives of the people.
In a separate news briefing, Sen. Ita Enang (PDP- Akwa Ibom) said the Supreme Court had only confirmed the ownership of the 76 oil wells which belonged to Akwa Ibom.
Enang commended the Supreme Court for maintaining its principle of judicial precedent, the court was consistent with its earlier decisions on the matter.
“The apex court in its judgment took into consideration the UN Convention on demarcation of boundaries, ’’Enang said.
He, however, said that the government and people of Akwa Ibom would ensure that cordial relations continued to exist between the two states.
Enang said that Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom was already reaching out to his counterpart in Cross River to sustain good neighbourliness and peace between them.
“ Akpabio is in touch with Governor Liyel Imoke. Even before now, the government of Akwa Ibom had maintained relationships that were beneficial to Cross River.
“We would not operate this judgment in a manner that is capable of causing tension. I don’t think we are going to have any problem after this judgment.‘’
Enang regretted that the dispute should not have been taken to court, since the Supreme Court had previously given the same judgment on the matter.
Meanwhile, Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross river has urged the citizens of the state to remain calm and be law abiding in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment on oil wells.
The governor stated this in a statewide broadcast to residents of the state in reaction to the judgment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the court reaffirmed the ceding of the disputed 76 oil wells to Akwa Ibom.
“Today, I beseech you to maintain the peace once again. We shall not abandon our peace-loving nature simply because of this temporary setback to our march for justice and fairness.
“This judgment is merely a temporary triumph of falsehood. I have confidence in the ultimate victory of “Good over evil” because as a famous philosopher, William Cullen Bryant once said, truth crushed to earth, shall rise again”.
Imoke said that although the judgment was a shock to the people of the state, it represented a watershed in the state’s struggle for justice.
The governor said that the state had expected justice in its favour.
“While we seek the face of God and the counsel of wise men on the best way forward on this matter. I urge you to look in wards and bring out your talent and time for the continued good of Cross River State.”
He also assured the people of the state that his administration would seek other means to boost its economy.
“Let me remind you that the loss of the oil wells is not the end of life. It is not a death sentence. Someone can steal your property but they can never steal your soul nor your dignity.
“We remain unshaken in faith that without the oil wells, the journey to expanded prosperity for our citizens will continue with even greater vigour.
“The Cross River State economy is still one of the fastest growing in the country.
“Cross River State is blessed with so much human and natural resources that the loss of oil revenue cannot stop our march to self-renewal and concrete physical development.
“The world over, development trends show that there is more wealth to be made from our intellectual resources and what lies on the surface of the earth than from the fossils that lie underneath it.
“Our strength is in our people, their resilience, their creativity and their resourcefulness.
“As you may recall, when the oil wells were seized from us in 2008, they created a temporary setback for all the laudable programmes that we had earmarked for execution in the annual budget for that year.
“But we rose together as one people, reinvented and energized and together again we worked assiduously to ensure that our steady march to progress was not derailed contrary to the wishes of our detractors.
“ We have survived without the oil wells for four (4) years. This is a journey and we will complete it by God’s Grace.
“We looked inwards and re-ordered our priorities, trimmed down costs and evolved more efficient means of making the most use of our resources.
“We reinvented our economic plan by rebuilding focus areas and creating new ways to achieve a government for the people.
“Today, we have surpassed our own expectation. It is a testimony to your faith, the wisdom of this administration and our collective resolve that in 2011.
“Four years after 76 oil wells were taken from us, Cross River has been adjudged as the fastest growing state in Nigeria in terms of physical development and the improvement of the living conditions of the people.
“It is inspiring to note that the huge loss of oil revenue has not broken our resolve to maintain our position as one of the leading tourist destinations in Africa.
“A clear validation of this fact is the recent filming of the popular novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, written by our daughter and wife, Chimanda Adichie, in Calabar.
“Statistics show that the number of visitors to Calabar for tourism purposes has continued to grow unabated over the years.
“There is a growing belief in and outside Nigeria that Calabar is easily the cleanest and safest place in Nigeria.
“All of these should assure us that the stolen oil well is not the end of this world.
“My fellow Cross Riverians, the scales of justice may not have weighed in our favour today but God has long equipped us to reverse this imbalance.
“Today in government, we have a crack team of passionate professionals who are determined to go the extra mile in the service of our beloved state.
“There is no want of wisdom or great ideas in my government. And there is no limit to our determination,’’ he said.
“As a wronged but law-abiding people, we had hoped for justice.
“We had hoped for a dispensation of justice that would restore our belief in the timeless saying by the iconic American civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior that “the arm of the moral universe still bends towards justice”.
“But that was not to be.
“Nor is it over yet, dear Cross Riverians.
“With today’s Supreme Court judgment, our hope has just been differed.
“We shall take solace in the legal maxim that “justice can only be delayed and not denied.’’
Imoke said that Cross River’s case was such that its people expected the Supreme Court to “give fillip to the saying that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man via a judicial pronouncement restoring those oil wells to our state’’.
“We expected a judgment grounded on equity. Alas, that was not to be.
“Four years ago when a miscarriage of justice robbed our state of 76 oil wells and handed them over to neighboring Akwa Ibom State, the good people of Cross River State did what we have always been known for; we proffered peace over violence.
“We maintained our peace and dignity even in the face of what could easily have unprecedented violence and reprisals.
“We hoped for justice from the highest court in the land. But our hope was dashed. My dear brothers and sisters, our spirit will never be broken.’’
Imoke also commended the people of Cross River for giving their support to his administration.
“I have always marveled to myself each time I remember the unflinching support you have continued to give to my administration.
“The most memorable of this is the immense support I received from you when a court judgment halted our transformational agenda recently.
“That was a strong reminder that no miscarriage of justice can stand for too long against the resolute will of a determined people.
“As we brace up for the future, I call on you to stand united so we can together make Cross River the destination of our dreams, a land like no other in this nation.
“As your Governor, I stand with you and we will succeed.
“And with God we shall triumph, even on this matter,’’ Imoke said. (NAN)