By Abasi Ita
The Cross River State chapter of the Association of Local Governments Chairmen of Nigeria, ALGCON, has described recent remarks credited to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, that Cross River is landlocked and non littoral as regrettable, inflammatory and unbecoming of the leader of the nation’s legislative chamber.
ALGON argued that, as Senate President, Akpabio’s utterances should be guided by decorum, national unity and respect for the diverse interests of Nigerians, rather than egoistic tendencies or momentary impulses.
Chairman of the association,Hon. Yibala Inyang, who spoke during a telephone interview said Cross River’s maritime boundaries, which qualify it as a littoral state, had long been established by geographical facts and international maritime evidence and remains undisputed.
Inyang described Akpabio’s remarks during the anniversary celebration of Akwa Ibom State, created from Cross River, as regrettable, saying the occasion should have been used to celebrate the longstanding ties between the two sister states.
“It is regrettable that an anniversary celebration of the creation of Akwa Ibom State, carved out of Cross River, was used to launch scathing attacks on the mother state which birthed Akwa Ibom, rather than celebrating the age long affinities which bind the two states,” he said.
He said the Senate President’s position demanded restraint, fairness and responsibility.
“His utterances should therefore be predicated on verifiable facts and empirical evidence rather than impulsive outbursts intended for personal aggrandisement or bloated ego,” Inyang said.
The ALGON chairman acknowledged the 2012 Supreme Court judgment involving Cross River, the Federal Government and Akwa Ibom State, which followed the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon and resulted in Cross River losing its claim to 76 offshore oil wells.
He, however, maintained that the judgment should not be interpreted as erasing Cross River’s geographical connection to the Atlantic through the Cross River Estuary and Calabar River system.
Inyang said ongoing technical processes to determine the state’s maritime boundaries and offshore resources should be allowed to run their course, with relevant federal agencies relying on verifiable evidence.
He also cited Governor Bassey Otu’s recent training of 2,000 Cross River youths in oil and gas skills as evidence of the state’s preparedness to participate in emerging opportunities in the sector.
“Cross River is not asking for what does not belong to her. We are asking that the facts be established through the appropriate institutions and that the people of Cross River receive what is legitimately due to them,” he said.
Inyang, who is also Chairman of Yakurr Local Government Area, urged political leaders in the Niger Delta to exercise statesmanship and avoid statements capable of creating tension between neighbouring states.
He reaffirmed the support of the 18 local government chairmen for Governor Otu’s pursuit of Cross River’s maritime and oil interests through constitutional, legal and institutional channels.
He also called on Cross River stakeholders to remain united, insisting that geographical evidence and ongoing technical processes should guide the resolution of the littoral question.I have retained the substance and quotations while tightening the lead, correcting grammatical issues and improving the transitions.