Oil Money and Brothers at War

By Ebube Bruno

ABUJA (CONVERSEER) – Brothers they are; strong as soul sisters. Cross River and Akwa Ibom States; once one and the same until 1987, when, by virtue of State creation, Akwa Ibom was carved out of her big brother’s care and set up to stand on its own.

Cross River could not have been prouder, like a business mogul whose apprentice just got established after learning the ropes.

Blood is thicker than water; so is the Akwa Cross heritage. So, when you go to Cross River State civil service, more than a handful of workers there are Akwa Ibomites; go to the markets, restaurants and lockup stores, Akwa Ibomites are major players. In many administrations, Akwa Ibomites have served and continue to serve as commissioners, special advisers, directors and policy makers.

Some even posit that in some local government areas like Akpabuyo, Akwa Ibom people make up to 40 per cent of residents. They take titles, are traditional rulers and are very significant landlords.

I usually make a joke that if you take away Akwa Ibom people from Cross River, the State will fall asleep; economically and otherwise.

The language, the food, marriage rites and ways of life are more similar than they’re different. Despite the very many ethnic nationalities in both States, indigenes are often simply classified as “Calabar People” outside the region.

So, what can separate them from this love? Oil Money?

Oil is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy. It contributes to a bulk of the government’s revenue, and states with oil production are twice or thrice better oiled in sharing federal allocations.

So, when Cross River State lost 76 of its oil wells to Akwa Ibom State, moving on became very difficult, and the state has been up and about seeking reparations. Efforts to settle the matter politically and legally have not gone well for the mother state and 30 years later, the offshore oil wells have become one of the nation’s most contentious inter-state disputes.

The legal journey on this matter has been long and complex. In 2012, the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered what many considered a final judgment, ruling in favour of Akwa Ibom State and affirming its ownership of the 76 offshore oil wells.

The apex court declared that Cross River State had lost its status as a littoral (coastal) state following the 1987 state creation and, therefore, lacked the legal standing to claim offshore oil wells.

For over a decade, Cross River State appeared to have accepted this judicial verdict, even as the economic implications became increasingly apparent. The state watched as oil revenues that could have transformed its infrastructure and development prospects continued to flow to its
younger sibling.

However, the matter was far from settled in the minds of Cross River’s leadership and citizens.

You would think that their cultural ties have helped to keep tensions at bay, but just as oil and water cannot mix well, this oil money politics is dividing these brothers, like oil floating on water.

Now, more than 12 years after that Supreme Court ruling, Cross River says it has found new and incontrovertible evidence that it can present before the Supreme Court in urging it to review and possibly override its own decision.

It says new facts put 67 of the 76 offshore oil wells within the territory of Cross River. But Akwa Ibom State thinks Cross River is merely deceptive and seeks to cause rancour.

If you are familiar with the apex court’s attitude whenever it is asked to review its own judgement, you wouldn’t be so eager that much would come of this present case.

As such, this dispute raises fundamental questions about the finality of Supreme Court judgments and the mechanisms for addressing perceived injustices in Nigeria’s federal system.

If this case proceeds to court again, we may or may not find closure. The victorious party could win legally but lose in the spirit and relationships. A political solution built on truth, fairness and brotherhood is the best antidote for this. Let each one speak truth to himself and to his brother.

The Federal Government has advised both states to engage in constructive dialogue on the matter. That’s the way to go! Although I expect that the federal government will soon get actively involved in the process.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”. Who better is to demonstrate this other than the two men of the cloth (Apostle Bassey Otu and Pastor Umo Eno) who are governors of these disputing territories?

While Cross River continues to kick and wail; with Mr Linus Obogo; the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Bassey Otu describing it as an Abiku situation that would never end until justice is done (an unending cycle of loss and return, as described in Yoruba folklore), Akwa Ibom sees Cross River as bad losers.

If you think this skirmish is just between those in government, that the common people of Akwa Cross heritage are unbothered, you may be wrong. A protest is brewing in Calabar the capital of

Cross River State and mobilisation are in top gear. The shocker? It is non-partisan, non-political; just the common people.

In a mix of a crushing paradox, this is coming at a time when creatives from both States were rallying on their Akwa-Cross heritage to renew their rhythm and promote themselves to the world. Check out a number of those creatives now, they’re going for each other’s jugular.

Despite the efforts to keep the disagreement civil, citizens of both States have taken to the streets of social media to drag each other; issuing threats and innuendos.

This is no longer about governments; a man now asks his neighbour, “What are you people still doing in our State after you’ve stolen our oil wells?”.

A woman born to Akwa Ibom parents, who was, however, born, schooled and resides in Cross River and is married to a Cross Riverian, is now lost at sea. She does not know what to do, nor does she know what to tell her children, who are equally citizens of both States. Can the rhythm of Akwa-Cross heritage be stronger than the rift of oil?

This pot of discord is boiling. If both States take unyielding stands, we wouldn’t just be talking of billions of revenue allocations, we would be talking of a family feud, literally and figuratively. And nobody fights against their own family and wins.