Constitution review: Oro-Obolo push for Obolo State, Ibibios oppose

The Oro and Obolo peoples, known as Oro-Obolo, occupying the Atlantic Coast in the South-South region of Nigeria, have advocated for the creation of Obolo State.

The people made the demand on Saturday during the Zonal Centre B public hearing/review of the constitution organised by the House of Representatives Committees on Constitutional Review in Calabar.

In their position paper presented by the Chairman of the Obolo State Movement and President-General, Oro-Obolo Peoples’ Union, Engr. Ngerebara Simpson Adumu said the creation of Obolo State would right historical wrongs and unlock the vast potential of the Obolo people to the benefit of Nigeria and the global community.

He said the Oro-Obolo is made up of two blocs—Oro and Obolo—comprising five local government areas of Oron, Okobo, Mbo, Urue/Offong Oruko, and Udung Uko of Akwa Ibom State, while the Obolo bloc has Ibeno and Eastern Obolo local government areas in Akwa Ibom State, Andoni local government area (Western Obolo), and many other local government areas and communities in Nigeria.

According to him, the proposed Obolo State, consisting of eight local government areas—Oron, Okobo, Mbo, Urue Offong Oruko, Udung Uko, Ibeno, Eastern Obolo, and Andoni—and a population of over 1.3 million people, has economic potential with a 129 km coastline stretching from Oron to Eastern Obolo.

He said the creation of Obolo State, which is also grounded in law and constitutional provisions, would be economically viable, driven by its oil and gas-bearing and producing status, as well as its fisheries and agricultural potential.

Adumu, who decried the unlawful remapping surreptitiously done by Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, described it as a clear attempt to undermine the rights of the Obolo people to their ancestral lands and therefore demanded that the Surveyor-General of the Federation take immediate action to rectify the situation.

He said the creation of Obolo State would unlock the potential of the Oro-Obolo people and promote economic growth, development, and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, the Ibibio ethnic group, under the leadership of Ifim Ibom Ibibio—the apex traditional institution in Akwa Ibom—has strongly opposed the inclusion of any Ibibio land in the proposed Obolo State.

The group made its stance clear through a memorandum presented by the President, Akwa Esop Ima Isong Ibibio and leader of Ibibio Onna, Ntisong Pius James Okon, on behalf of Ifim Ibom Ibibio.

While acknowledging the constitutional right of any group to request a new state, the Ibibios emphasised that no portion of Ibibio land should be used to create Obolo State. They argued that the Obolo people, residing mainly in Eastern Obolo LGA, live on Ibibio ancestral lands, which were historically leased to them under royalty-paying arrangements.

“We are not against state creation, but we are completely opposed to the inclusion of any Ibibio land in the proposed Obolo State,” Okon declared.

He reiterated that the 16 Ibibio-majority LGAs—including Eket, Esit Eket, Etinan, Ibesikpo Asutan, Ibiono Ibom, Ikono, Ikot Abasi, Ini, Itu, Mkpat Enin, Nsit Atai, Nsit Ibom, Nsit Ubium, Onna, Uruan, and Uyo—are clearly demarcated in the official and gazetted April 27, 2023, map of Akwa Ibom State.

The memorandum further stated: “No village, section, or inch of any Ibibio LGA will be ceded for the creation of Obolo State or any other state not collectively demanded by the Ibibio people.”

He noted that while the Ibibios have coexisted peacefully with Annang, Oro, Ibeno, and Obolo ethnic groups, the demand for a new state must not violate historical ownership or ancestral claims.