By Kelvin Obambon
Rt. Hon. Orok Duke, PhD, a prominent stakeholder and elder statesman in Cross River, has thrown his full weight behind Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s aggressive push to recover the state’s oil wells ceded to Akwa Ibom.
Duke, a two time deputy speaker of the Cross River House of Assembly and former Commissioner for Information, who spoke with journalists in Calabar at the weekend, described the long-standing loss of the oil wells as “illogical” historical injustice that has left the state financially crippled and unfairly treated within the comity of Niger Delta states.
Reflecting on his decades of activism – including his detention during the June 12 struggle and his role in establishing Cross River TV – Duke emphasized that the fight for the state’s resources is a continuation of a life-long commitment to “Cross River.”
“I’ve been into issues concerning us all my life,” he stated. “The situation is that people assume we are weak. We are not fighting the federal government; we are simply asking for what is logically and scientifically ours.”
The former lawmaker criticized the 2012 Supreme Court judgment which stripped the state of its littoral status, arguing it was based on provisional and “compromised” drawings provided by the then Surveyor-General of the Federation. He contended that while 76 oil wells were handed to Akwa Ibom, the actual coordinates and maritime reality tell a different story.
“How can we be in custody of 76 oil wells, and then suddenly we are told we are no longer a littoral state? It is simple logic before common sense,” Duke argued. He revealed that recent scientific efforts involving the Navy’s sophisticated equipment and the current Surveyor-General’s office have confirmed that many of these wells fall within Cross River’s territory.
“The governor has taken the drawing to the Presidency. Nobody is quarreling with the drawing now because it is scientific. We have determined the boundary; now place the coordinates and tell us whose territory those wells belong to.”
Duke who is currently a board member representing Cross River in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), lamented the devastating impact of the loss on the state’s standing in the interventionist agency. According to him, Cross River has been receiving “zero” project allocations based on production quotas, despite the state bearing the environmental brunt of oil activities in the region.
“For 26 years, Cross River has been getting zero. When they shared 46,000 tablets, we got 2,000. Why? Because on the production quota, they write zero for us. Yet, if there is an oil spillage in the Bakassi/Calabar axis, the ocean washes it to our shores faster than anywhere else.”
Duke praised Governor Bassey Otu’s “gentle but focused” approach, noting that the Governor is prioritizing diplomacy and scientific evidence over “dancing naked” in public. He warned, however, that the patience of the people is wearing thin.
“Our Governor is a gentle person, but it gets to a point where you have to embark on self-help. We are more interested in getting our refugees back to Ikot Offiong and securing our future. We will follow the government’s lead, but those who think they can continue to exploit our resources through connivance with officials should be warned.”
He concluded by urging the Presidency and the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to act on the new, accurate drawings to restore the state’s rights and provide the “backlog of arrears” owed to Cross River for the past two decades.
