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Re: Backassey Peninsula: No balkanization of our state. By
An open letter to: His Excellency President Obasanjo The Senate President Speaker of the House Honorable Senators and Representatives of Akwa Ibom State Honorable Senators and Representatives of Cross River State The Governor of Cross River State The Governor of Akwa Ibom State Ibom Peoples Congress[USA]
Dear Sir or Madam: May I humbly issue this rejoinder to the IBOM PEOPLES CONGRESS, USA., I have decided to single out the Backassey Peninsula [my spelling of Backassey is correct] question from their article, posted on http://nigeriaworld.com, because I come from that part of Nigeria/Cameroon. I must also confess that I am from the present Cross River State. Yes, I admit everybody in Akwa Ibom State is my brother or sister, but I will like to call my brothers attention to the following:
When you write a letter to Baba Aremu, do not use MUST. I am telling you this because we are brothers. Make your arguments to him, if it suits him, he will oblige you irrespective of the strength of your arguments. I sound drunk don’t I?, but bear with me. Do you know why the Cross River State was not created by Baba during his first coming?, and instead, he hijacked that option and created Ogun State? Ask Prof. Udo how long he knelt down and begged Baba Aremu, at the University of Ibadan, not to create the state. He did not use the word MUST, and Baba obliged him.
I suspect most of the signatories are relatively young and have not traveled through the Old Calabar Province., because the last reason they would use in their arguments would be ‘existing geographical physical boundaries’. I enclose herewith a map of the peninsula and adjoining islands for your perusal. Existing geographical boundaries, I must also advice my brothers, would make them lose their case on the Calabar – Itu boundary dispute.
It seems to me the writers are all students of history. When they state that the residents of these islands and peninsula are Akwa Ibom people, have they forgotten that there was a time, when the whole of that area was under the Old Calabar Province, then we became part of Eastern Region, soon we started agitating for COR state because our man Eyo Ita was pushed out by Zik. Incidentally, the C in COR stands for Calabar, then came South Eastern State, which Baba Aremu later baptized Cross River. Then Akwa Ibom was belatedly created. My brothers, try and find out when this area was administered from Eket Division and start your arguments from there, you will stand a better chance.
The dilemma of the Nigerian government is that before she can prove ownership of the Backassey Peninsula at the International Court of Justice, she must also delve into history to prove early settlement. All documents at hand dating back to the 17th century mentions the Efiks, Efuts, Quas and Effiats as the early settlers. The Ibibios or Egbosherry are not mentioned, the Orons I will not fight over because they are our brother fishermen. Have we forgotten the Ibenos, the Ekets and the Annangs where do they fit in. These areas are, and still is, mostly, fishing outposts, before the advent of oil,[you thought I wasn’t going to mention that] which of the ethnic groupings above are acknowledged as fishermen?
I am very happy that your association traced Donald Duke’s origin, I always knew that he was not ‘one of us’. Etim Effiong Duke Family in Nsisuk at Calabar., the impostor!, but wait a minute, are the authors being clever by half?, when they claim that he originated from Issiet Inua Akpa in Uruan Clan, Inua Akpa in our language means ‘mouth of the river or sea’, and most of these names are attached to locations. The rivers around the area in question are, Calabar, Cross and the Rio Del Rey. Are you guys trying to pull a fast one?
Have the writers asked the people of Oku Iboku, Ibeno, Oron, Okobo and Uruan if they would like to join the Quas, Efuts and Efiks in Calabar, Cross River State?
Do we really have an indigene of Akwa Ibom as the governor of Cross River?, but then, why are these guys complaining?. They have their brother an Ibibio man as governor in a neighboring state, they also have some Akwa Ibom indigenes in Cross River State. Don’t they think Duke should be able to take care of his kith and kin?
When you come from a polygamous family, which most of us do, there are always problems during the distribution of inheritance after the death of the patriarch. If the people of Akwa Ibom are really related to people from Cross River, and are brothers, then the last thing the people of Akwa Ibom would be doing, is trying to deprive their brothers. Have they never heard of brotherly love? The world, I hope, has now realised why we opted out of a political arrangement with our ‘brothers’. The restructuring of Nigeria would only be done at the expense of minorities if they continue to quarrel with each other. Right now, we should be shouting Niger Delta.
Your Excellencies, in the name of equity, PLEASE could you just arrange a plebiscite for the people ‘of ’ this area to determine which state they want to be in, before it leads to ‘wanton destruction of lives and properties’.
Orok Edem Calabar Development Association New York 4/26/00
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