76 Disputed Oil Wells: We Are  Ready To Protect What Rightly Belongs To Us – Gov Eno

By Suleiman Anyalewechi 

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Dr. Umo Eno has expressed the readiness of his administration to go head-to-head with the Cross River State authorities in the renewed battle for the  long disputed 76 oil wells.

The Source reports that of recent, the Cross River State Government has renewed its claim to the oil wells which were earlier ceded to  Akwa Ibom courtesy of two Supreme court rulings.

The State is believed to be  deploying all the political ,and diplomatic arsenal at its disposal to ensure a reversal of the Supreme Court’s verdict which effectively  shut it out of the country’s littoral states ,as well as denied it significant amount accruing from the 13% derivation funds for oil producing states.

The state is said to be hinging its hope of reprieve on the work of a Federal Government Committee which is re-evaluating the issue years after the Supreme Court’s pronouncement.

But speaking at the weekend on the occasion of the second year anniversary celebration of the “Golden Initiative For All GIFA, a pet project of his late wife, Governor Eno remained adamant that no Committee or any other Government agencies have the legal and moral powers to overturn the Supreme Court’s verdict on the  disputed 76 Oil wells.

According to him, any attempts at revisiting and or overturning the apex court judgement will tantamount to  repudiating the International Court of Justice ICJ ruling on the Bakassi Peninsula, a development which he fears may  internationalize the issue at stake.

“We have two Supreme Court judgments and there is no reason whatsoever to revisit the issue. Nothing has changed that will prompt us to begin to look at the Supreme Court’s pronouncement on the issue again.

” No Committee can overturn a Supreme Court’s judgment. No agency of Government can overturn a Supreme Court’s judgment..

“Akwa Ibom, according to the Supreme Court’s ruling, does not have a maritime boundary with Cross River state. We only have a maritime boundary with the Republic of Cameroon, and any attempt to shift that boundary will amount to tampering with the ICJ ruling, and know that by that time it will become an international issue” Gov Eno stated .

While appealing to Akwa Ibom citizens to remain calm, Governor Eno affirmed his administration’s resolve and readiness to go the whole hug in securing what rightly belongs to the Akwa Ibom people.

This is as he expressed unflinching confidence in the ability of President Bola Tinubu to be on the side of justice in the present circumstances.

He expressed the readiness of his administration’ to match whatever antics Cross River state authorities are applying in the bid to protect what belongs to Akwa Ibom citizens.

” We are in the ruling party. We will go where they go. We will meet who they meet. We will talk where they talk. We will sit where they sit and we will defend what belongs to us”, the Governor vowed.