76 Oil Wells: Remain calm, Eno tells Akwa Ibom residents
Governor Umo Eno has called on residents of Akwa Ibom State to remain calm amid renewed claims by Cross River State over the ownership of 76 oil wells. The governor
Governor Umo Eno has called on residents of Akwa Ibom State to remain calm amid renewed claims by Cross River State over the ownership of 76 oil wells.
The governor dismissed reports suggesting any transfer of the oil wells, maintaining that there is no basis for concern.
He stressed that no propaganda or emotional appeal can invalidate two subsisting judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria affirming Akwa Ibom’s ownership of the disputed oil assets.
Eno spoke on Saturday upon his arrival at the Victor Attah International Airport, where he reiterated his administration’s confidence in the judicial process.
He added that President Bola Tinubu accords significant importance to the rule of law in the governance of the country, expressing confidence that established legal decisions would be upheld.
“There are two Supreme Court judgments that give Akwa Ibom State the right to those oil wells. We are not sharing maritime boundaries with Cross River State but with the Republic of Cameroun, and the Nigerian Supreme Court has said so twice to establish this fact.
"The people on the other side may cook up any story they want; raise propaganda, but this propaganda has no effect in the face of the two Supreme Court decisions establishing our ownership of the oil wells. This is not about sentiments", he stated.
Reaffirming his faith in due process, he stated: “I believe in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; I believe that the rule of law will be respected; I believe that we cannot throw away Supreme Court decisions twice on this particular matter.”
He stressed that the matter is one of established facts, not emotions. “If we were to talk about sentiments, then Cross River State should equally contest the allocation of many Ibibio-speaking villages of Itu LGA in Akwa Ibom State to Cross River State. Why are they coming up now to whip up sentiments when irrefutable facts on the oil wells have already been established?” he queried.
It would be recalled that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has officially refuted reports alleging that the oil wells were ceded to Cross River State, describing such claims as false and misleading.
Corroborating the Commission’s rebuttal, Eno reiterated: “Facts are sacrosanct, and you cannot push them under the carpet with sentiments. Let our people remain calm because our President is a man who respects the rule of law.”
