Sunday July 20, 2025
TheNewsDESK |
By Assam ABIA
The Ibibio ethnic nationality has firmly rejected the inclusion of any part of its ancestral territory in the proposed Obolo State. This position was presented at the South-South zonal public hearing on the 2025 constitutional amendment, held on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at the Metropolitan Hotel, Calabar, Cross River State.
The demand for the creation of Obolo State is being championed by the people of Oro, Ibeno, and Eastern Obolo. However, in a detailed memorandum presented to the House of Representatives Constitution Review Committee by Dr. Samuel Udonsak on behalf of Ibibio traditional rulers, council of elders, and other stakeholders, the Ibibio people strongly opposed the proposal.
Citing the Nigerian Constitution, the memo noted that:
“The 31 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Akwa Ibom State, as listed in the First Schedule (Section 3, Part I) of the 1999 Constitution, are Ibibio 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.”
The memo further referenced the Gazetted Official Map of Akwa Ibom State, established under the Akwa Ibom State Map Establishment Law No. 10 of April 27, 2023, which delineates the authentic ancestral boundaries of Ibibio lands.
“No village, section, part, or inch of Ibibio land within these LGAs shall be ceded to the proposed Obolo State or any other entity,” the Ibibio delegation declared.
They argued that based on historical facts and colonial documentation, the areas currently occupied by the Obolo people in Eastern Obolo LGA and the Ibeno people in Ibeno LGA were originally Ibibio lands, leased to those communities on a royalty-paying basis.
The Ibibio people expressed particular concern over five Ibibio coastal and oil-rich LGAs — Esit Eket, Eket, Onna, Ikot Abasi, and Mkpat Enin — which they say are being targeted for annexation into the proposed Obolo State.
“The plan to stretch the proposed Obolo State from Oron Federal Constituency through Ibeno to Eastern Obolo is geographically impossible, as these areas lack direct land contiguity. Between them lie Ibibio LGAs, whose ancestral lands cannot and will not be ceded,” the memo stated.
While the Ibibio people affirmed their respect for the self-determination rights of other ethnic nationalities, they maintained that:
“By law, an Oro State is feasible due to the contiguity of its five LGAs, and we do not oppose that. But Ibeno has no contiguity with either Mbo or Eastern Obolo, and Eastern Obolo shares no boundary with Andoni or Ibeno. What lies between them is Ibibio land — and that shall not be violated.”
In conclusion, the Ibibio delegation reiterated in clear terms:
“We do not want Obolo State to be created on an inch of Ibibio land.”
