By MODEY PETERS





The 76 oil wells credited to Akwa Ibom State since April last year by the federal government, have been returned to Cross River State, the state governor, Liyel Imoke, announced in his office yesterday, while addressing a solidarity rally organised by the people of the southern senatorial district of the state.


"They took our oil wells; now we've got them back. Once again, we are on course with our development programmes. We are grateful to the federal government under the able leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan", he said.

Mr. Imoke did not explain how the oil wells were returned, but it was gathered from senior government officials in Calabar that the presidency adopted a political solution to the face-off between the two states over the loss, since Mr. Jonathan was chairman of the committee raised by late president Umaru Yar'Adua to resolve the matter.

On May 29 this year, the governor announced that the federal government has agreed to pay Cross River State for the loss of Bakassi peninsula to the Republic of Cameroon, which prompted the ceding of the oil wells to Akwa Ibom State. The implication of his statement in Calabar is that the oil wells have been returned, following the pressure mounted by his administration, as the federal government could not have accepted to pay the state for losing Bakassi in commensurate sum, without actually being an oil producing state.

Rally in the rain

The news was received with loud cheers by those at the rally, held on the lawn of the governor's office. Mr Imoke said he was overwhelmed by the turnout, as the crowd defied the heavy downpour to stage the rally.

He, however, lamented that previous leaders of the state were divided along ethnic lines, and that himself and his friends came into politics to do away with such primordial sentiments, as they have passion for Cross River and its people.

"No one who is a citizen of Cross River State", he said, "can be denied the opportunity of being the governor of this state. That is why we decided to challenge the establishment to change the system by removing ethnicity from our body politic, and with the support of the people, we succeeded in electing a governor [Donald Duke] from the southern senatorial district, a feat people thought was impossible."

Mr. Imoke informed the gathering that being a governor was not his idea, as he was rather planning for another person to be governor. But it turned out to be God's plan that he should become governor and that the challenge before him is how to impact on the lives of the people.

On the forthcoming election, he explained that the PDP in Cross River is a popular party, which does not engage in rigging and manipulation of results, but that with hard work and evidence of delivery of dividends of democracy, the electorate know the difference and will thus support it to win at all levels.

A former senator and leader of the southern senatorial district caucus of the PDP, Florence Ita-Giwa, said the people were appreciative of Mr. Imoke's accessibility, his quiet disposition, and untiring efforts in confronting the challenges facing the state.



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IS THIS REALLY TRUE?

there is no oil in cross river state. except one well off the coast of calabar.

This case was in court, when was the ruling or imoke is lying to get a 2nd term nod? Anyway let Akpabio react to this.