Obolo State: Monarch backs Oro’s Nation‘s quest to leave Akwa Ibom
A respected royal father in Oro Nation and Paramount Ruler of Udung Uko Local Government Area, Odidem (Rt. Hon.) Bassey Etim Edet has thrown his weight behind Oro’s demand to leave Akwa Ibom State, stressing that entities that feels they are not well treated in their current political enclave have the right to choose to leave, reason why he supports.
The Oro monarch stated this while airing his perspective on the contemporary issues affecting the country, the state and Oro Nation.
“Truth be told, Oro is suffering huge maltreatment in Akwa Ibom State ranging from neglect to outright infrastructural abandonment. Come to Oro Nation and see for yourself; no roads, no government presence, no industry, unemployment and hunger steadily spin at the centre stage. Tell me who would want to remain in such situation? I support their quest 100 percent”.
Odidem Bassey Etim Edet, however, called for focus and direction from the Oro people especially the people spearheading the quest while frowning at the lack of consultations and engagement of the Paramount Rulers in the process.
“We have two groups pursuing this course, the Pro-Obolo State and the Pro-Calabar state parties. You see, these are people who have shown genuine love for Oro by pushing for its emancipation but I have a problem with these parties. In a popular Oro wise saying, it is practically impossible for someone to climb a tree while holding two objects in both hands. Oro people should be able to convoke and choose where they think will be best for them between Obolo State and Calabar state. I am also very angry that the Paramount Rulers of Oro Nation are not consulted about the development, it shows disrespect and disregard for the royal stools.
“We should be in the know of such development because we know the boundaries of our land. We must be consulted for active involvement”.
The Royal father has however warned against making monetary contributions as related to the state creation course to an individual to avoid another instance of what happened in the Oro 2015 struggle. He thinks a better alternative should be to set up a committee after the proposed convocation in order to look into all it will take to achieve Oro’s aim including the management of finance.
The Eti Oyo Okpo II also bared his mind on current national and local issues, including the #EndSARS/EndSWAT protest and aftermath effect.
“As a royal father, it is part of my responsibility to voice out my opinion especially as it relates to the welfare of youths and stability of the nation, Nigeria. I sense a very significant paradigm shift in the polity of this country; it’s distance isn’t no longer far. It must however be handled with utmost egg guide”. These were the exact words of the monarch as the session began.
ON THE PROTEST, Eti Oyo Okpo II throws his weight solidly behind the youths. For him, it is time for the right thing to be done. He further stressed that the demands of the youths must be given a positive nod by the government for the country to move forward.
“They’re doing the right thing…it is their right to protest the injustices and brutality that they’ve suffered not just in the hands of unprofessional and criminal minded security officials who quite frankly should be protecting them, but also in the hands of corrupt politicians. They are not treated fairly in this country. There are a lot of graduats who are unemployed, no enabling environment and some greedy politicians who are bent on recycling themselves into positions till they depart the mother earth would not even give them a chance into politics or be allowed good positions. The protest was well thought of and rightfully done.”
He however berates those who hijacked the peaceful protest, which later led to violence and bloodshed calling them enemies of progress. In a very strong term, the two time Chairman of Oron & Udung Uko LGA also condemned the current vandalism and looting of people’s private businesses as well as government owned properties while maintaining that such approach could be counterproductive. He encouraged youths to remain resolute while being civil and law abiding.
ON THE STATE OF THE NATION, the Paramount Ruler rues the fact that the current unrest in the country had to come up during a time when the country is still battling with the effect of COVID 19 pandemic. According to him, the juxtaposition of these two occurrences further compounds the woes of Nigeria which according to him, will certainly take a tough turn on the economy of the country. He opines that the president must deploy every diplomatic tool in his arsenal to arrest the situation. “The youths must be engaged in a conciliatory manner as using of cohersion could be counterproductive. He should listen to them and grant them their wishes. Whatever the president does should be geared towards achieving normalcy in the country”.
Odidem Bassey Etim Edet (JP) also used the medium to commend Governor Udom Emmanuel while applauding his proactivity, especially the tactics he has employed in ensuring that violence emanating from the current national situation wasn’t sustained in the state. He enjoined all and sundry to put the nation in their daily prayers atleast for peace to return.
