Ibaka Seaport Relocation Scandal: Why Suspicion is Inevitable
Much has been said about the undenied recent visit of the Technical Committee for the Implimentation of Ibom Deep Seaport to Oro Royal fathers.
The visit has been confirmed to have held in the Royal Palace of the Paramount Ruler of Oron local government area. According to those who attended the meeting, especially the executive Chairman of Okobo LGA, Dr. Sylvester Attah, it is expressly stated that the committee visited to formally inform Oro leaders of the approval given by the Federal Government for the kick off of the project.
Indeed, Oro people are unanimous in their opinions that the seaport be sitted at Ibaka. One thing that cannot be waved is the outright suspicion that such a high powered visitation can generate at this material time. Indeed, this piece has no other aim, apart from confirming the reason for the suspicion.
First, let me say that several persons have dealt a just perspective into the historical background of Ibaka as the safest, most profitable and cost effective location for the deep seaport. At least, the piece by our MP emeritus, Hon. Robinson Uwak can sufficiently be referred.
His episodes on the attempt by power brokers to divert the port’s location since 2012 is well sieved. His swift parliamentary interventions are also well retained. Mine is just a few directions on why Oro people cannot be talked out of suspecting the recent visitation of our council chairmen and Royal Fathers by the committee.
Precisely in September 2015, yours truly did an expository news report with the title, *Exposed: Udom Finally Moves Ibaka Seaport to Ibeno*. As you can see here, it was flashed on the front page of Insight Newspaper and then carried on page 4. That story, which manufactured unto me, very many enemies from Oro and beyond, was also used on front pages of The Evangelist Newspaper and the Global Accord You may zoom the attached page to read through.
It could be recalled that Governor Udom Emmanuel, upon resuming office had, in June 2015, set up the Technical Committee for the Implementation of Ibom Deep Seaport.
The committee headed by Mrs Mfon Usoro also had as members, our own Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, the current Secretary to Government of Akwa Ibom State and Dr Akon Eyakenyi, current Senator, Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District.
While engaging the promotion campaign of Obong Nsima Ekere in 2018, an Oro Elder (I believe he’s reading this), a chieftain of the PDP discredited my postulations in favour of Udom’s reelection. The argument drifted until he stated that the seaport was not even moved by Governor Udom Emmanuel but by his predecessor, Senator Godswill Akpabio since 2013. In that case, he meant that Udom couldn’t have done anything to change the status quo. I do not want to talk about the 5,000 teachers employed by Akpabio’s administration with Udom Emmanuel as SSG, which the latter had to terminate on grounds of alleged irregularities. That would clearly portray our beloved governor as one who makes right choices, tactically avoiding anything without prospects for his personal benefits.
Do not forget the popular interview yours truly had conducted with the Immediate Past President General, Chief Mrs Janet Amba, which bordered on Oron Union leadership. A section of it talked about the purported relocation of the seaport. The then PG said she had interacted with the SSG who said the project didn’t have a change of location. See the attached excerpts…..
Again, in December 2018, Oro First Officials, including yours truly, engaged Dr Akon Eyakenyi in an online preelection debate. Yours truly was assigned the number 10 question which sought to clarify the secrecy surrounding the relocation of the port. Our people in Oro Issues Solution Platform cannot be plagued with distorted memory to forget how our dear Senator responded to that question. For those who had no privilege to be part of that engagement, here’s what our Senator said, “The seaport is still in Ibaka, though there is a slight change in location.” Beloved brethren, I will personally excuse myself from attempting an interpretation of such a subtle statement by a politician.
However, one thing is sure, Dr Eyakenyi was the only senatorship candidate who made herself available for that interaction. Little wonder that the platform officially issued a statement adopting *Mma Better Deal* for all Oro people and beyond. As someone who saw nothing good in the party that has interminably perpetrated injustice against my people, and having been involved in marketing the Tabasco outing, it was pretty difficult to cope with that conclusion. But then, Oro had spoken and as a journalist and the youngest person in that team of 10 Oro elders, it was obvious that I had to do a report of the meeting and the official adoption statement in favour of Dr Akon Eyakenyi.
Truth is, the statement by Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem as found in the PG’s Interview and That of Dr Akon Eyakenyi were visibly distinct. How could we then possibly marry the divergent views by our biggest eyes in the committee, regarding the location of the seaport? Isn’t this a good reason for suspicion?
Recall also that on January 21, 2020, the Akwa Ibom State government led by Deacon Udom Emmanuel had a tripartite meeting with ExxonMobil and host communities without a representation from Oro Nation. While people may say that the oil bearing status of Akwa Ibom communities has no relationship to seaport enquiry, it must be stated that such was an enormous opportunity for Oro representatives in the Seaport implementation committee to have addressed the worries of Oro youths. The development sparked the greatest struggle of Oro youths in recent history, leaving the streets dotted with the bold stripes of that protest. Of course, that satanic tripartite gathering had been well reported by various reputable newspapers in Nigeria, including Vanguard and Business Traffic. The links are here attached.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/01/gov-emmanuel-sues-for-stronger-collaboration-from-exxonmobil/
Akwa Ibom State seeks stronger collaboration with Exxonmobil
Similarly, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport, Mr Akan Okon on Saturday, February 22, 2020, visited the Ibeno Paramount Ruler, HRM Ogwong Bassey Achianga. That meeting was also attended by members of the Implementation Committee led by the Chairman, Mrs Mfon Usoro. According to Mr Akan Okon, who noted that “Ibeno was the most peaceful oil producing area”, the meeting was necessitated to get “feedback from the host community” who should “conduct a peaceful atmosphere for the project to kickoff” and to “have a basis for environmental impact assessment (EIA). Speaking during the meeting, the Ibeno Paramount Ruler stated that the EIA/MoU must be concluded before the project commences. While our own meeting has not been reported in the media, Daily Trust and Vanguard’s report are here attached. This too, would not escape the suspicion of reasonable minds.
https://dailytrust.com/amp/akwa-ibom-to-involve-host-communities-in-execution-operation-of-ibom-deep-seaport
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/akwa-ibom-govt-plans-to-involve-host-communities-in-execution-operation-of-ibom-deep-seaport/
Meanwhile, there is an unpublished 17 page interview in my custody, done in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 lockdown. Mr Monday Ekong, a world class finance and insurance expert gave our crew the basic reasons why Ibom Deep Seaport will never be realized. The octogenarian condemned the politics of the seaport’s relocation, saying the project conceived by _*Pensions Managers Nigeria Limited*_ as *Gulf Coast City, Ibaka*, had long been compromised and cannot, with distorted maps, see the light of the day. During the interview, Ekong, a Member of the British Empire showed us piles of documents containing maps and specific designs of the project. He stressed that as long as the administration of Udom Emmanuel refuses to adopt the original template of the project which is cited at Ibaka, the project would never fly.
In June 2020, this writer had the privilege to interact with the then Works Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Akparawa Ephraim Inyang-Eyen who is now the Chief of Staff to the Governor. I can unequivocally report that the question on the seaport relocation seemed to have unsettled my guest as he spent over 30 minutes justifying the relocation. That interview is published in the *Special Magazine COVID-19 Edition* of _*Real News*_. I shall subsequently get the Seaport extract published.
Amidst the concrete items illustrated here, it is clear that the relocation process must have been concluded in the practical approaches of the Akwa Ibom State government. My grouse therefore, as well as those of majority opinions, is why the committee could just wake up to visit Oro Royal Fathers. As clearly indicated, the monarchs had stated that the committee would only be viewed as fair if they come back to address the entire Oro people. It is even ridiculous that such a meeting was conceived without the President-General of Oron Union in the picture. Nothing could be more suspicious that this.
To be precise, could the committee have been deaf when Oro was daily calling on it to make a statement on the location? Was Oro Nation in the moon when the committee went with Mr Akan Okon to visit Ibeno Royal Father on February 22, 2020? What is really a news in coming to tell Oro about the approval by federal government? Are our leaders ignorant on how to render community service? Elsewhere, government officials would leak unfavourable information to their people and support them to give it a viral publicity until actions are taken. In Oro, if one discovers ill government motifs and tries to expose it, he becomes insolent and his brothers’ and sisters’ enemy.
Ultimately, we must continue to wonder why the committee surreptitiously visited our fathers. Sadly, Hon. Robinson Uwak’s call for our representatives to live up to their expectations can possibly be of no effect. Question is, among our six legislators, who has the discipline, character, integrity and patriotic spirit to rise to the occasion, in confronting relevant authorities to rescind their political actions against Oro? Absolutely, the suspicion generated by that uncommon visitation, calls for vigilance among every Oro patriot, the reason we must keep asking questions.
Atainyang is a journalist and public affairs commentator
