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An open letter to President, Olusegun Obasanjo, and the Commander in Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces.
Mr. President, This is an open letter to you on behalf of Oron Communities (Bakasi, Okobo, Ibeno, Oro, Mbo, Effiat and Ebughu). We demand equity rightly so because Nigerian law and practice has failed to do right by us. Sir, for upward of forty years, Oron and other minorities in Nigeria, have been exploited and raped politically, economically, and senselessly so. When agriculture fueled the nation’s economy, Oron and other southeastern minorities contributed a dominant portion of the Region’s foreign exchange via palm produce and have nothing to show for it. Unlike Nsukka that contributed nothing but, ended up with a university from our sweat.,ditto Enugu with a campus of Nsukka University and a College of Technology while Calabar, Ogoja and Rivers were robbed of such projects with peripheral economic effect. We, the Oron people have been in existence since, and at our present location for a long time before the advent of the Europeans. We, the Oron people depended on our limited land and our unlimited seas and resources for our daily lives. Since then, Oron people have never abandoned nor vacated these territories. Mr. President, the point here is that, apart from God, the land and waterfronts belong to Oron. Mr. President, we like you to know that when the tide rises from this ocean, Oron houses are flooded. In the same way, when the storm, and other forces of nature, come from the ocean, without warning, Oron people take the direct hit. We the Oron people endure our plight. We would like you to know that we lose human lives to these disasters, as well as enjoy the resources that come from our eco-system, which we believe are rightfully ours. Mr. President, as a retired officer and gentle man, you have a duty to do the right thing. As a commander in chief, you owe a duty to the Oron people. Mr. President sir, scrape the offshore oil policy, it is wrong and establish a policy based on equity. It is often said, "He who pays the piper dictates the tune" we the Oron people have no quarrel with that dictum. However, someone owes explanations why Oron and Ibeno amongst others like Ogoni, (all minorities) produce the elephant share of Nigeria’s wealth, and the so-called majorities (pipers) dictate the policy? Why do Oron people live by the sea and die by the sea but cannot enjoy the benefits of the crude oil from the same sea? Why do Oron suffer the natural rainfalls, thunderstorms, flooding, and loss of human lives due to the ocean but left out on the money from the petroleum ore of same ocean floor in the name of offshore? We will not over-flog the issue, but one last thing your excellency, this oil drilling thing comes with environmental pollution, the fishes, water and the ecology are all poisoned without redress to us. The people of Oron believe that offshore is a dubious political coinage from those that rule the oil wealth in Nigeria. Oron people will like the proponents of offshore to know that, the rainstorms; thunderstorms and flooding are all-natural, originating from the same offshore mentality, and does not shield Oron people from these natural occurrences nor its consequences. Offshore oil opportunists need to know that their greed driven policies do not stop Oron waterways and resources from being polluted and poisoned, with resultant effect on us (Oron). We also know that if Oron were not a part of Nigeria, no one of the rest of Nigeria will dare drill anything from her coastal frontiers and style it as offshore. Equity sir, we ask, since the national sense of justice is clouded with political occupation and exploitation infinitum. Mr. President, equity is the only available avenue to us at this time. Oron people know that God endows other group of people differently, and do not ask you to bring proceeds from kola nuts, peanuts, cotton or copper sales to share with Oron. We are politically asking you to protect our collective citizenship and rights in the best of democratic traditions. We may be peace loving, but our children cannot eat peace as meted out to us. We will not allow peace to replace rights, justice and common sense of Oron people. After all, Oron has the right to be. Equity is in law everywhere in the world while offshore remains questionable. Oron people want to assure you sir, we want the unity of Nigeria, but that we seek a better Union. We point to the truth that Mobil Nigeria Ltd. Area of operation is the southeastern coast of Nigeria. Also to the fact that 100% of the area is between Oron and Ibeno, and that neither of us benefit anything from this blessing of nature. Injustice to Oron people is injustice to Ogonis and other oppressed people of our land. Mr. President, let us know, if you were us (Oron people), how would you feel when money from petroleum product that drives National economy, is drilled from your back or front yard, but the money is used to give free education, health, transportation and whatever to those whose forefathers deliberately refused to train them and not your children? We are confident you can see how this would hurt, if you were the Oron and others. We are aware, "what is good for the gander is good for the goose". Therefore, whatever Nigeria enjoys from the share of oil from Oron waters, Oron deserve even more and nothing less. Just as a reminder sir, Oron had the first telephone and telegraph station in colonial Nigeria, but today the same Oron that linked Nigeria to the world has no single telephone line. The Oron people like to feel the Nigerian-ness as the rest do. By that, we mean Nigerian national presence in defense, transportation system and infrastructures. Where is the railroad that should run from Ibaka to join the national rail system? Railways are good for trade and industries as well as in military logistics. Where is the naval base with facilities at Oron to defend us from Cameroon defense force illegally conducting raids on our fishermen? We the people have overpaid our price to be Nigerians. ‘Free us or let us go’ is our demand. Territorial occupation in any disguise is good for no one, but the occupier. As it stands, we enjoy no privilege of being Nigerians, and it is not Oron fault.
Thanks your Excellency, Sgd. For Oron Civil Action Front (ORCAF) P. O. Box 792 Atlanta, Ga. 30301. |