Reps: Ijaw Caucus seeks FG intervention over alleged hijack of oil producing ancestral land

…Petitions Reps, seek judicial action

Members of the Ijaw Legislative Caucus in the 10th session of the House of Representatives on Thursday solicited for Federal Government’s intervention over alleged hijack of oil producing ancestral land in Akwa Ibom State.

Speaking on behalf of the Caucus, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante (PDP-Rivers) during a press briefing at the National Assembly complex, Abuja, disclosed that the Caucus had on Wednesday laid a petition on the floor of the House with a view to address the crisis.

He alleged that the immediate past Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State alleged embarked on Local Government re-mapping a few days before his exit from office with a view seize part of the Ijaw land in contravention of all regulations and requirements.

He said: “This briefing is centred on the alleged re-mapping of Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State.

“This action was allegedly conducted within a few days to the exit of the immediate past Governor against all regulations and all requirements attempting to take the land belonging to the Ijaw Nation.

“Probably our thinking is that with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act, persons who do have any bearing with the oil exploration within the State wanting to seize part of the land so that it would qualify them as host communities.

“We are not bothered, we are not worried. The fact that the bulk of the resources accruing to Akwa Ibom State is derivable from the oil within the local government areas of the Ijaw Nation. Eastern Obolo, Ibeno and Mbo local government areas are the local government areas that we know are oil producing. We have come with the aspirations, the desires, the pains and the cries of our people to say no, this should not be, given the Ijaws in Akwa Ibom State could be in the minority in the state.

“But they deserve the protection of the state, they deserve the protection of the Federal Government. They deserve the protection of the strong. In democracy, the strong are obligated to protect and defend the weak.

“We have come crying and saying please, this should not happen to our people. It is against morality, it is against justice. It is also against the laws of our land. And if anyone takes the law into his hands, then definitely, that person should be told in clear terms that whatever he or she has done or is attempting to do remains illegal.

“We would not want to go into the details of litigations or no litigations. Those are issues that would be brought up at the point when the petition would be determined by the Committee.

“What we have come here to do now is to sensitize the world that there is a threat to the livelihood of our people. As we speak, they are invading several communities that belong to the Ijaws in Akwa Ibom State. We also want to call on the security agencies to give protection to the lives and properties of the Ijaws living, residing and doing business in Akwa Ibom State.

While responding to question on the personality accused of invading the villages, Hon. Abiante said: “When you classify a state, a state can be referred to as “they”. And the land, the proeprtyies of the Ijaws have been shared among several local government areas in Akwa Ibom State. So they are the “they”.

“Any Ijaw man anywhere is an Ijaw man. You cannot force me to lose my identity. It is the injustice inherent in the system that has divided our people, that has refused to bring us all together in the name of states. So, every Ijaw man anywhere remains an Ijaw man.

“If I come to your father’s house and take your property, you will clap for me?”

While responding to question on the status of the resources on the contentious land area, he said: “Ijaws are principally fishermen. We live along the coasts. You may have heard of Ibeno beach which is about the longest natural beach we have in this country.

“It is a resource. You must have heard about several oil wells from where Akwa Ibom derives her 13 percent. They are all within the Ijaw territory. Is that not going to be too attractive?”