Creation of Ogoja State tops agenda at House public hearing

The creation of Ogoja State again topped the agenda at the House of Representatives Public Hearing on Constitutional Review held in Calabar on Saturday.

Stakeholders from mostly northern Cross River demanded the creation of Ogoja State, arguing that it is long overdue, considering that it is the only remaining province in the old South Eastern region, comprising the present South East and South South geo-political zones, without a state.

According to them, this is the auspicious time to right the historical wrong by creating Ogoja State, maintaining that no meaningful national restructuring will be complete without addressing the injustice of Ogoja’s exclusion.

They further maintained that the creation of Ogoja State is not a favour; rather, it is a constitutional right, a moral obligation, and a political necessity.

In the memorandum on the creation of Ogoja State submitted by former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu G. Agabi, SAN, on behalf of the people of the North, he stated that historically, the agitation for states in the country was initially limited to the demand for the Middle Belt State, the Midwest State, and the Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers State.

He said in answer to those demands, the nation proceeded to proliferate states so that the purpose for which minority communities made those demands was totally and completely defeated, and since then, the condition of the minorities has worsened and has never improved as they continue to suffer.

Agabi, 79, lamented that the Ogoja people have suffered all forms of indignities ranging from lack of electricity, access roads, water, and functional schools in almost all the villages, adding that the minds of the young have been brutalised, even as the majority of the people live in squalor amid the opulence of their leaders. Thus, the “agitation for Ogoja State so as to be given the opportunity to take our lives into our own hands.”

He further stated that “this agitation is not rooted in malice. It is made in good faith. Our ancestors, when they promulgated the Constitution, realised beforehand that a time like this would come. They appreciated that conditions in our country would compel communities to make demands of the type that we now make. 

And so, they made provisions in the Constitution which you, Honourable Representatives of the people, have come to implement and give effect to. This request is made in exercise of a right vested in the people by the Constitution.

“The nation would never have survived but for the creation of states. And if the nation is going to go on surviving, it would depend on the extent to which our leaders listen to the cries of those that are trampled upon. The exercise of state creation will forever go on until every community is able to take its own affairs into its own hands.

“Our greatest resources are the people. Not oil. Not minerals. Not agricultural produce. But the people. We are an intelligent people. A resourceful people. A resilient people. A hardworking and God-fearing people. We are a humble and honest people. It is such a people that present this memorandum to you.”

Decrying the injustice against the Ogoja people, who have been denied a state for over 50 years, some stakeholders, including Papa DC Enamhe, Convener, Movement for the Creation of Ogoja State; Justice Eneji; Johnny Agim, SAN; CP Lawrence Alobi (rtd); Hon. Cletus Obun; Hon. Solomon Ekam; and Assoc. Prof. Achi Bekomsom, argued that the people of old Ogoja Province, comprising Yala, Ogoja, Bekwarra, Obudu and Obanliku, Boki, Ikom and Etung, have cried out against injustice meted out to them and demand equity, fairness, and inclusion into the nation’s scheme of things.

The stakeholders further argued that other nearby old provinces such as Enugu, Abakaliki, and Calabar had long been given states, yet Ogoja Province, which existed as a recognised administrative unit during the colonial era along with the above-mentioned people, has remained marginalised, forgotten, denied, and dehumanised in all ramifications of development because we don’t have a state of our own.

According to them, the creation of Ogoja State would bring balance, equity, and justice, as well as address the structural imbalance, ensure distribution of resources, promote the rich cultural heritage of the people, and foster economic development among neighbouring states of Benue, Ebonyi, and nearby Cameroon.

The Convener, Movement for the Creation of Ogoja State, DC Enamhe, commended Obanliku, Obudu, Bekwarra, Ogoja, Yala, Ikom, Etung, Boki, Obubra, various leaders and elders, women and youth groups, as well as students, for their unflinching support for the creation of Ogoja State.

He further commended the Efiks and the Southern Initiative, and the Igede nation for all their support and unity, adding, “we are done with the public hearing. Now is to lobby for the third reading.”