Confusion trails Oro Union meeting as communique is refuted
A communiqué purportedly issued by Oro Union, the apex sociocultural organization in the Oro ethnic bloc of Akwa Ibom State, rejecting the Enlarged Technical Committee on the Implementation of Ibom Deep Seaport as approved by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Governor Emmanuel approved the addition of four persons to the implementation committee.
He also inaugurated another committee christened ‘Oro Steering Committee’, with Amb. Etim Uye emerging as chairman. Uye was directed by the governor to submit the four names on a later date.
But, reacting to the development, Oro Union at a congress presided over by its President General, Bishop Etim Ante, was said to have resolved that “the purported Oro Nation Steering Committee formed by Governor Udom Emmanuel on 1st October in the Government House and Oro Union Think-tank Committee Chaired by Prince Abasi Eyo stand dissolved and lacks legal standing to represent Oro Nation on the Seaport issue.”
The union was also quoted to have insisted that it would not accept attempt to relocate the seaport to anywhere except Ibaka In Mbo Local Government Area.
“The location of the proposed Deep Seaport shall be in Ibaka, Mbo LGA which is verified and certified as the natural depth for the project,” it reads in part.
Reacting to the communiqué, which started trending on social media, Saturday afternoon, Prince Asuquo Esifa, publicity secretary of the union, described it as a hoax: “the general public should please disregard any communique purported to have emanated from the OU Special General Meeting held today 2nd October, 2021 as it is not from the official handle of Oron Union.
“The resolutions of the meeting shall be published as necessary work is done and dusted by the Communique Panel and properly censored by the Secretariat.”
A legal practitioner from the area, Alexander Asuquo, alleged that the purported communiqué was issued by an attendee of the meeting but failed to name the person.
A social media user, Ukeme Esio, questioned the union’s publicity secretary on the delay of the “real communiqué.”
“So what is delaying the real communiqué? Keeping mute since morning, only to come out to deny what we all know. Confusion everywhere,” he wrote.
According to the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Ini Ememobong, Amb. Uye spoke on behalf of Oro people during the inauguration.
The commissioner in his press statement announced that Uye “as the Chairman of the Oro Steering Committee, disowned the vexatious audio (which invectives were poured on the governor) and apologised to the Governor on the embarrassment that may have arisen therefrom.”
“They communicated their preparedness to receive and support the deep sea port project and other projects attracted to their area by the Governor,” Ememobong added.
The press statement also listed attendees of the meeting as “AIG Asuquo Amba, Prince ChrisAbasi Eyo, Chief Otu Ita Toyo, Engr. Ita Awak, Ikpoto Okon Osung, Chief Effiong Afiakurue, Dr Etim Amba, Prof. Eka Uwe, Ita Oboho, John Ntekim, Ezekiel Ibok and Omen Bassey.”
Others were: the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, Honourable Commissioner for Economic Development and Ibom Deep Sea Port, Mr. Akan Okon, Honourable Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the representative of the Traditional Institution, HRM Edidem Raymond Inyang and the representative of Socio-cultural groups, Akparawa Patrick Udofia.
