IJAW PEOPLE REJECT MOVES BY AKWA-IBOM STATE GOVERNMENT TO WIPE OUT OBOLO NATION FROM THE STATE
…..demand creation of Obolo LGA IN Akwa-Ibom State
The Ijaw National Congress (INC), Eastern Zone has rejected moves by the Akwa-Ibom State Governor to exterminate the existence of Obolo Nation from the State.
In a statement made available to Brave Views, the spokesman of INC in the Eastern Zone, Chief IBIOSIYA NATH-ISAIAH SUKUBO revealed that there are plans by the government and the governor of Akwa-Ibom State, EMMANUEL UDOM to divide Obolo people and coerce them to join bigger ethnic groups in the state.
The INC spokesperson condemned such moves, arguing that, if allowed to sail through, it would amount to weakening and finally wiping out the existence of OBOLO Nation from the state which, he noted, spreads across some Local Government Areas of the Akwa-Ibom.
“We the Ijaw National Congress, Eastern Zone hereby condemns the planned remapping in Akwaibom State, as it impacts negatively the Obolo kingdom that spread across several local government areas in the state.
“This is a contumelious ploy to further balcanise the people and buttress the continuous asphyxiation tendencies on the people”.
He said any attempt to split Obolo Kingdom in Akwa-Ibom State is an attack against the existence of Ijaw Nation in the state and declared that such moves would be totally resisted.
“The balcanisation of the Obolo people in Akwaibom is the balcanisation of Ijaw land and we shall stand to resist it vehemently”.
Chief IBIOSIYA SUKUBO regretted that despite the fact that Obolo people produce the highest oil and gas in the State, they surfer suppression, oppression and subjugation from the major ethnic groups in the state, simply because they are in minority.
He further stressed that: “Apart from the political psadomasochisms, the ecological and aquatic devastation we surfer which has compounded to us genetic polymorphism require of us a remediation.
“The plan to further subsume the people into major ethnic groups is a stratagem to annihilate the Obolo people and Ijaw Nation in general and we cannot fold our arms to watch”.
The INC suggested rather than force the Obolo people to join bigger ethnic groups in the land through remapping exercise, Obolo people should be brought together the creation of a single Local Government Area in Akwa-Ibom State, so that the Ijaw people in that state will not disappear for ever.
“We are stating without equivocation, that if for any reason there should be a remapping, let all Obolo people be created in their own local government areas and not to be attached to major ethnic groups for trampling”.
Chief SUKUBO, the spokesperson of INC, Eastern Zone warned that, if the needful is not done, Obolo Nation would immediately begin advocacy for creation of their own state to completely be out of the Akwa-Ibom State.
“Going forward, let all accruals from our God given resources be made available with political opportunities for the people to have a sense of belonging in the state or else we demand a separate state of our own. This is a voice of empathy”.