Sensor Newspaper

The former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah has finally broken his silence on the Supreme Court Judgment which returned 86 Oil Wells from Akwa Ibom to Rivers State.
Attah who frowned at what he described as attempts to misinform the people about what transpired for former President Olusegun Obasanjo to approve a political solution said he was continually at the fore front of resource control to make sure Akwa Ibom earned the right amount as derivation, regretting however that he was unaware that Akwa Ibom was in Court with Rivers over the 86 oil wells because according to him he was not informed.
Attah in a press statement said after successfully tackling Supreme Court judgment to fix boundary of littoral states in the low mark and littoral states were now allowed to extend their boundaries to 200 meters isobaths to earn derivation through a “political solution”, he was confronted with another in which the Obasanjo government ceded some oil wells belonging to Akwa Ibom to Rivers and Cross River States.
“Quite suddenly and totally inexplicably the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo then turned around and arbitrarily seized some oil wells to the east from Akwa Ibom State and gave them to Cross River State and as many as 172 wells to the west which he gave to Rivers State. Every attempt to receive some explanation or relief failed. I hired two sets of maritime experts from London and Norway to help determine the boundaries between the three states of Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers states” the former governor explained.
According to him, their findings were rejected saying he suggested that the matter should be resolved by resorting to the provisions of the United Nations Commission on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and this too was rejected.
In his view, this particular application would have left Cross River State with some oil wells based on historic titles despite the loss of Bakassi and the eventual judgment of the Supreme Court that declared Cross River State a land locked state.
The former governor explained that in total frustration he went to court but was threatened and was told that the matter will not receive any more presidential consideration unless he withdrew the case from the court. Attah said rather than withdraw totally, he asked the lawyers to apply to suspend further prosecution to allow for possible out of court settlement.
“That was when the former President proposed the second “political solution”- to give back to Akwa Ibom State 50% of the 172 oil wells that had been taken from it and given to Rivers State. Following upon this the Boundary Commission was ordered to go and produce a boundary between the two states that would reflect this decision. I do not believe that till today it has been possible for such a boundary to be drawn because it would zig-zag between the oil wells” Attah stated.
He said he did not go back to court to file any terms of settlement because all these according to him were arbitrary seizure and release were considered as interim.

Bookmark with: