No Ibibio land will be annexed for proposed Obollo State – Ex-minister Essien to agitators

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No portion of Ibibio land would be annexed to those pushing for the establishment of Obollo State, according to Chief Nduese Essien, a former minister of lands and urban development.

Speaking at His Eminence Ntenyin (Dr.) Solomon Daniel Etuk’s installation as Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio’s fourth grand patron, Essien claimed that the Obollo people’s renewed push for a separate state is a ruse “to grab Ibibio land.”

Remember that the residents of Akwa Ibom’s Oro, Ibeno, and Eastern Obolo local governments have been advocating for the establishment of Obollo State.

Essien, a former two-term member of the House of Representatives, asserted that the Obollos’ push for the establishment of a state was an attempt to take over the Ibibio coastline, specifically the Stubbs Creek Forest, which he claimed the Ibibio people had legitimately protected all the way to the Privy Council in London.

He said, “Let me emphasise unambiguously: any attempt to appropriate Ibibio land must be vehemently rejected at all times. The ill-fated expedition has been exposed and must come to an end. No part of Ibibio land will be annexed.”

Essien said that the present wave is unsustainable, recalling that the Obollos had often agitated but had been faced with a brick wall.

“The second wave of aggression through violence in 1993 was halted by the Justice Ephraim Akpata Commission of Inquiry, and a third in 2014 during the National Conference, where collaborators sought to merge the area with a part the neighbouring River State for a proposed Oil Rivers State,” he added.

Speaking about the Oku Ibom Ibibio’s installation as the Grand Patron of Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio, Essien urged other sociocultural organizations to go beyond ceremonial roles and take a more active role in preserving Ibibio culture, fighting for justice, and expressing strong views on national issues rather than complimenting political establishments.

Essien praised Mboho’s accomplishments since its founding in 1987, such as the construction of educational institutions, businesses engaged in agriculture, travel agencies, and cultural projects, but he advised its leaders to avoid using the organization as a vehicle for their own political aspirations.

The “glorious past, our beautiful present, and the promise of a bright future” are all connected by the Oku Ibom, he added.

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