The Nation Newspaper

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  • Suswam’s aide defects to ACN

    A former Senior Special Assistant to Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam on Local Government Liaison for Vandeikya Local Government Area, Mr Cletus Kula, has defected to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    But he was immediately arrested by the police after his defection.

    The former governor’s aide defected with over 3,000 supporters.

    The defection was celebrated at the Local Government Primary School in Vandeikya.

    The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) attended the ceremony with over 4,000 supporters.

    Kulas’ oldest son, Terna, said after the defection ceremony, his father was invited by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the area, Mrs. Clara Ogbeni.

    According to him, his father was detained with six other defectors and transferred to the police command annex in Gboko.

    Terna added that his efforts and those of his associates as well as his father’s friends to know the reason behind the arrest were unsuccessful.

    He said the police maintained that they were acting on “orders from above”.

    But a lawmaker accused the Caretaker Chairman of the local government, Mrs. Torkwase Ajoh, of masterminding the arrest.

    It was learnt that Kutas’ popularity had influenced the votes the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was getting in the area.

    His defection, the lawmaker said, would upset the party’s chances in future elections.

    He said it was the reason the council chief, a PDP chieftain, is jittery and angry.

    Mrs. Ajoh denied complicity in the arrest.

    But she said ACN undermined her powers as the Chief Security Officer when it held the defection ceremony.

    The council chief added that only the state government can be contacted on the matter.

    ACN Chairman Comrade Aba Yaro said the police were acting on instructions from the PDP.

    He said a formal permission was obtained from the police command’s headquarters.

    As at the time of filing this report yesterday, the accused were still in detention.

    Efforts to get the police spokesman’s reaction were proved abortive.

    He did not reply to a text message sent to his phone.

     

  • Enugu Assembly passes motion for creation of Adada

    The Enugu State House of Assembly yesterday passed a motion for the creation of Adada State from the present state.

    Moving the motion on the floor of the Assembly, House Leader K. E. Udeh-Okoye, representing Agwu North, said the Assembly needed to support the creation of the new state.

    The lawmaker noted that it was the desire of the people of the old Nsukka Division, comprising seven local government areas – Igbo-Etiti, Igbo-Eze North, Nsukka, Udenu, Uzo-Uwani, Isi-Uzo and Igbo-Eze South – to have their state.

    According to him, the agitation for the new state dates back to 1981 and it is the longest in the country.

    Okoye said the request for the creation of Adada State was first forwarded to the National Assembly on March 2, 1983, through the late Senator Isiaiah Ani, who represented Nsukka Senatorial District between 1979 and 1983.

    Listing the particulars of the proposed state, the lawmaker explained that its name was derived from the longest river in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area.

    He said the capital of the proposed state would be Nsukka, the main administrative headquarters of the area since 1921 and the home of Nigeria’s frontline university.

    Okoye said: “The land area and land mass of the proposed state is 3293.74 square kilometres approximately. The human population is about 2.17million approximately based on the 1991 population projected data from the National Population Commission.”

    The House Leader said the reasons for the creation of Adada State include the quest for even development among the northern and southern states of the East.

    The motion was seconded by the John Ukuta, representing Uzo-Uwani, and passed by Speaker Eugene Odoh.

  • Ibori/EFCC: I won’t stop talking, says Clark

    Prominent South-south leader Chief Edwin Clark has said he cannot be cowed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from speaking on the controversial $15 million traced to convicted former Delta State Governor James Ibori.

    He called for a periodic scrutiny of the recipients of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria ( SAN) award.

    Clark said the handling of corruption cases by some SANs is suspicious.

    Clark was reacting to a failed attempt by EFCC lawyer Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) to persuade an Abuja Federal High Court to summon him for commenting on a matter already in court.

    The elder statesman had called for the sack of EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Lamorde for the needless controversy over the status of the money.

    Ibori allegedly offered the money as bribe to the anti-graft agency.

    Rejecting the request to invite Clark, Justice Gabriel Kolawole said the application was diversionary, adding that, Clark was neither a party nor counsel in the matter before him.

    He, however, said the commission was at liberty to file a formal application to summon Clark before him.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja yesterday, Clark said the failed attempts by EFCC to incite the court against him “was nothing but a ploy to stifle good conscience and freedom of speech.”

    He hailed Justice Kolawole for his steadfastness and good faith.

    The elder statesman said as a lawyer of almost 50 years “ he appreciates and respect judicial officers.

    “I have never wittingly or unwittingly done any act to prejudice any pending suit or bring down the Judiciary.

    “I am also fully aware of my right and will not hesitate to state it as it is as the truth will continue to flow from me like water.

    “I won’t hesitate to state that any attempt to stop me, the same truth will become a flood.”

    He debunked EFCC’s claim that Senator Andy Uba had no knowledge of the bribe money.

    Clark said :“It is laughable that EFCC is complaining about facts known to the world, which is only reinforced by my humble self and other compatriots.”

    According to him, Uba on September 23, confirmed to him in the presence of others that Ibori brought the money to his house and Nuhu Ribadu was in his house to receive the money and later sent for Lamorde, who was then director of operations to pick up the money.

    “I am further alarmed why there should be two contradictory depositions by the EFCC when Bello Yahaya, a senior superintendent with EFCC, in 2007 swore to an affidavit that Ibori attempted to bribe the commission with the $15 million in question.

    “This year, he made a turn in another suit to state that he had the consent and authority of Lamorde to swear a contrary affidavit that the said $15 million is an unclaimed property and no one has claimed or shown any link to the sum,” he said.

    He called for a restructuring of the EFCC to make the international community view the nation’s anti-corruption agencies as ineffective.

  • Suspects: we didn’t kill Oyerinde

    The suspects arrested by the State Security Services (SSS) for the alleged killing of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the Private Secretary to Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday said they were tortured and “promised many things” to say that they committed the offence.

    Oyerinde was killed on May 4 at his Benin home around 2am.

    The three suspects spoke with reporters yesterday shortly before they were arraigned before an Oredo Magistrate’s Court .

    They said they had participated in several robberies but were not involved in Oyerinde’s killing.

    The suspects are Raymond Dregbo (24), Edeh Chikezie aged (32) and Mohammed Ibrahim.

    Raymond said: “They beat me to say what I did not do. I did not go to the late Oyerinde’s house. I do not even know his house. I took them to the house we robbed, where we collected N48,000 and I got N8,000.

    “We did not shoot anybody there. They are holding us for robbery, but we did not kill Oyerinde.”

    Mohammed said he was arrested on Water Resources Road and the SSS promised him many things to admit killing Oyerinde.

    He said it was his personal phone that the SSS paraded as Oyerinde’s and that the gun also paraded was not theirs.

    Mohammed said: “I admitted because of the dishumanising treatment they gave us.”

    Magistrate Edo Asemota remanded the suspects in prison custody.

    He requested that the case file be duplicated and sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.

    Ten suspects, including an enviromental activist, Rev. David Ugolor, were arrested by the police and remanded in prison custody.

    One of them, Maismari Garuba, told the police that Ugolor gave him N200,000, out of the agreed N20 million, to murder Oyerinde.

    Ugolor was later granted bail.

  • Deeper Life killings: Soldiers hunt for ex-council chief

    Members of the Special Task Force (STF) on Kogi State security are searching for a former Chairman of Okene Local Government Area, Alhaji Yahaya Karaku, for his alleged complicity in the bombing of Deeper Life Bible Church, Okenne, it has been learnt.

    Twenty worshippers died in the attack and two soldiers on duty at another location were killed during the incident.

    The police arrested Karaku over the incident but he was released after he was absolved of complicity.

    His freedom from the police has not deterred the soldiers from going after him.

    It was learnt that STF members invaded a popular hotel in Lokoja last week when they were searching for the former council chief.

    The Commander of the STF, Lt.-Col. Gabriel Olorunyomi, confirmed the search in a telephone interview with The Nation.

    He said Karaku has a case to answer with the Army.

    Olorunyomi said: “What we need is for him to come and defend himself over some issues. He can’t just be walking freely on the street when some issues are not cleared. We are not out to hurt him but to take him to the Department of Military Intelligence (DMI) for questioning. If he is found innocent, we will let him go.”

    On the insinuation that the soldier might kill Karaku if they arrest him, Olorunyomi said: “Nigeria has not degenerated to that level of lawlessness. This is a civil case. How on earth do you think we will just kill a person like that?”

    But a senior police officer, who spoke in confidence, told The Nation that there is no constitutional provision that the police should report or hand over a suspect to the Army.

    The police officer said the normal practice is that soldiers hand over a suspect to the police for investigation.

    Efforts to contact Karaku were unsuccessful.

    It was learnt that he was not in Kogi State.

  • Boko Haram: Police seek public help to nail senators

    Boko Haram: Police seek public help to nail senators

    Senators Ahmad Khalif Zannah and Ali Ndume are under security watch for their alleged link with Boko Haram, Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar said yesterday.

    Abubakar urged members of the public to give information that could help in the investigation of the senators.

    “The senators are still under security watch and we need evidence before we can make progress. So, we are calling on people who have evidence on these senators to come forward. Our investigators need evidence to enable them prosecute the suspects.”

    Zannah represents Borno Central. Ndume represents Borno South in the Senate. The Boko Haram sect is widely believed to have sprouted from Borno State, which has lost huge human and material resources to incessant bombings by the insurgent group, which campaigns against western education.

    Abubakar, who spoke at the Force Headquarters, Abuja added that investigation into the bribe-for-fuel subsidy clearance involving House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan, was still on.

    Lawan was alleged to have compromised his integrity while he presided over the ad hoc committee of the House that investigated payment of fuel subsidy to some real and imaginary importers.

    Opening a two-day seminar for state and zonal heads of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Abubakar emphasised regular training and capacity building for police investigators.

    Disturbed by unresolved murders, rape and kidnapping, the police chief urged heads of the various CIDs to be alive to their responsibilities.

    But he cautioned the officers to respect the fundamental human rights of the citizenry while carrying out investigations.

    According to him, torture must not be one of the tools of investigation. Besides, those being investigated for bailable offences must be given bail without delay.

    “We need to partner the Nigerian people for a 21st century policing whereby things are done professionally, in accordance with the rule of law and respect for the dignity of the human person,” Abubakar said.

    Zanna has filed a N5billion suit against the Minister of Defence and three others for alleged libel and mental trauma when the Joint Task Force (JTF) claimed that a suspected Boko Haram Commander, Shuaibu Mohammed Bama, was arrested at his residence in Maiduguri.

    Other defendants are the Chief of Defence Staff, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the spokesman for the JTF, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa.

    Zanna, who is still being investigated by the State Security Service (SSS), deposed to a 19-point affidavit in support of the action in which he insisted that Bama was not arrested in his house.

    In the writ of summons filed by his counsel, Mr. Gbenga Olagundoye, the senator is “claiming N5billion jointly and severally against the defendants (including aggravated damages) for libel”.

    The senator said that the words “ published concerning me, meant and were understood to mean that:

    “I harbored a wanted Boko Haram terror Suspect in my house and therefore I am a supporter of the terrorists group Boko Haram

    “That the clear innuendo in the words complained of, bore and were understood to bear the meaning which I have just stated by the facts that pleading in the foregoing paragraph by way of innuendo with the following particulars:

    “That Boko Haram is a notorious terrorist group operating in Nigeria and who had been held responsible by the public for a series of terrorist activities, bombings and killings both of civilians as well as military, police and other Para-military personnel.

    “That it is generally believed by members of the public that the Boko Haram secretly receives materials aid and other support from some members of the society.

    “That the publication complained of falsely portrayed me as one of he persons who aid and support the Boko Haram in their terrorist activities.

    “That as a person who has always publicly condemned the destructive activities of the Boko Haram, I am a hypocrite

    “That the publication complained of was calculated to disparage me and to lower my estimation in the eyes of the general public and in fact, my reputation has been seriously damaged by the words complained of.”

    Zanna said the JTF declaration has caused him considerable distress and urged the court to grant him the damages he sought.

  • Oil wells dispute: Revenue agency backs Bayelsa

    Oil wells dispute: Revenue agency backs Bayelsa

    Despite the protest by the Kalabari community in Rivers State, the disputed oil wells will still remain with Bayelsa, a federal agency declared yesterday.

    Kalabari elders and traditional rulers on Monday staged a protest in Abuja over the alleged ceding of Soku oil wells in Rivers to Bayelsa State, allegedly with President Goodluck Jonathan’s support. The President is from Bayelsa.

    The oil wells in Kula, Soku, Ehem-Sarama, Idama and Abose communities produce 300,000 barrels of crude daily.

    “The status quo remains – which is that the oil wells, for now, belong to Bayelsa State,” chair of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Elias Mbam, said yesterday in Abuja.

    The Kalabari elders accused the RMAFC, the National Boundaries Commission (NBC) and other federal agencies of being used by the President to cede the oil wells to Bayelsa, a claim presidential spokesman Reuben Abati dismissed as “irresponsible” because, according to him, the federal agencies are independent.

    Mbam said: “The status quo remains and that is that the wells, for now, belong to Bayelsa state it is an old issue and the RMAFC is not doing anything differently until the NBC completes its assignment and the Supreme Court gives a final ruling on the matter.”

    He said the commission “relies solely on the decision of the Presidential Committee on the Verification of Oil Wells of December 2000, comprising the office of the Vice President, National Security Adviser, Department of State Security, National Boundary Commission RMAFC, the Nigerian Navy, DPR and the office of the Surveyor General of the Federation,” which retained the wells in Bayelsa State.

    He added that the commission was holding on to the Supreme Court judgment of July 10, which stated that “until the National Boundary Commission concludes its exercise of delineation of the disputed boundary to finality, it will be futile and premature to determine the boundary of the two states in present circumstances. However, the appropriate order to be made in the prevailing circumstance is that of striking out the plaintiff’s suit.”

    Mbam said the claims of the Kalabari National Forum, led by Awoyesuau-Jack, a traditional ruler, alleging that some public officials connived to take away some communities from Rivers state and hand them over to Bayelsa State for political reasons is baseless, malicious and a calculated attempt to misinform the public and embarrass the RMAFC.

    He urged all parties to exercise restraint and allow peace to reign while the National Boundary Commission completes its assignment on the delineation of boundaries between the two states.

    The RMAFC boss said Bayelsa State has sent a petition to the commission, and the RMAFC has constituted an inter-agency committee, comprising the National Boundary Commission, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the office of the Surveyor General of the Federation and the offices of Surveyors-General of Bayelsa and Rivers states.

    The committee, he said, will look at the details of the petition to determine where the disputed oil wells belong. The DPR will determine the content and quantity of the oil wells.

    The National Boundary Commission, Mbam said, will have to complete its assignment first before the determination of which state owns the wells, but he expects the NBC to finish in good time so that other activities will follow.

    On the 13 per cent derivation funds that is now a source of controversy between the states and oil producing communities, Mbam said: “As of today, the RMAFC Act does not allow the commission to release money to communities but we have advised state governments to use the 13 per cent derivation fund to develop the communities where oil exploration takes place.

    The 13 per cent derivation fund, according to him, is meant to address the challenges that may arise as a result of oil production. He maintained that the money should be used to address such challenges.

    Mbam urged aggrieved oil producing communities to come forward and make presentations at the review of the new revenue formula, on how best the 13 per cent derivation should be handled in the review.

    Mbam said lack of funds has delayed the review and eventual release of the much expected revenue formula.

    “The success of the review of the new revenue formula depends on variables. One of such variables is funding,” he said.

    He said RMAFC is optimistic that the 2013 budget will address funding challenges to allow RMAFC go to the zones and carry out workshops and receive input from stakeholders.

    The RMAFC boss was silent on when the new revenue formula will be released but he said the commission was looking at next year – if it has the requisite funding to complete its duties.

    Funding is required to finance the travel arrangements of 37 members to all parts of the country, hire consultants and for sundry logistics.

  • 2015: Akpabio’s deputy quits

    2015: Akpabio’s deputy quits

    Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor Nsima Ekere quit his job yesterday – “for personal reasons.”

    His terse letter of resignation sent to Governor Godswill Akpabio reads: “Pursuant to Section 306 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), I kindly notify you of my resignation from the Office of the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State forthwith on personal grounds.

    “I want to thank you immensely for the opportunity to serve Akwa Ibom State and the good people of the state as well in the remaining years of your administration.”

    A statement signed by Ekere’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Inemesit Ina, confirmed the resignation, but refused to go beyond the lines in the letter.

    Reports from the state indicated that senior government officials discussed the development in hushed tones as the news filtered through in the course of the day.

    Attempts to speak with the governor’s media aides failed, but sources indicated that preparations for succession to Akpabio had caused a split in the government. Ekere, 47, who hails from Ikot Abasi in Eket Local Government is said to be interested in taking over the reins of government in 2015, while the Secretary to the State Government, Umana Okon Umana, who hails from Uyo Senatorial District, is also reported to be insistent on taking over the Uyo Government House.

    Both men are believed to enjoy wide support in their respective spheres of influence, and had looked forward to obtaining the governor’s support.

    A high official of the government said yesterday, “it has been a difficult decision for the governor to take. On the one hand, he largely owes his victory at the poll in 2007 to Umana. As Finance Commissioner in the Victor Attah administration, Umana stuck out his neck, supported the governor morally and financially and galvanized votes for him in the very crucial Uyo district.

    “He thereafter emerged the SSG and has remained a major pillar of the government. He had left no one in doubt that he had his eyes on occupying the seat at the expiration of Akpabio’s tenure. Again, in 2011, in the face of very stiff challenge from Senator John Akpanudoedehe who crossed to the Action Congress of Nigeria to pick up the ticket, the task of mobilising support for the PDP in the Uyo district fell on Umana. He performed creditably.

    “On the other hand, Ekere has been a very loyal deputy. He served creditably and proved his worth in the government. His people in the Eket district believe that it is their turn to produce the governor. In the 1999-2007 period, Victor Attah, from Uyo, was the governor. Since then Akpabio, from Ikot Ekpene district, has been in the saddle. It is therefore believed that, in the interest of justice and equity, it should go to the Eket zone.

    “This is the crux of the matter. The resignation has further complicated matters, coming so soon after the 2011 election.”

    Ekere was one of the 47 aspirants who indicated interest in succeeding Governor Attah in 2007. He stepped down in support of the governor and thus boosted his political standing. He was thus tipped as the running mate, but, on the intervention of party elders, shelved his ambition.

    He was replaced by Patrick Ekpotu, a loyalist of Governor Attah, in a bid for reconciliation ahead of the 2007 election. But, Ekpotu was dropped last year and replaced by Ekere, in what was described as a reward for loyalty.

    Resignations by deputy governors are not new in the Akwa Ibom political scene. On June 23, 2005 , Chris Ekpeyong was impeached by the state House of Assembly, apparently at the behest of Governor Attah. However, the intervention by the national leadership of the PDP saw the House reverse the removal. He consequently resigned on July 5. He was replaced by Michael Udofia.

    In October 2010, there was heavy speculation that Ekpotu had resigned. This was later denied and the deputy governor was allowed to serve out the term.

  • Kalabari protest in Port Harcourt

    Kalabari protest in Port Harcourt

    The monarchs, chiefs, elders and other Kalabari people from Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru and Degema Local Government Areas of Rivers State continued their protests in Port Harcourt yesterday.

    The Kalabari protesters, led by the Amanyanabo of Abonnema, King Gbobo Bobmanuel, in their thousands, clad in black attire, with placards and banners, while chanting war songs, moved from the popular Isaac Boro Park to the Government House, Port Harcourt.

    Addressing the protesters’ Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi said the Federal Government, last month, released N17 billion from Soku Gas Plant in Akuku-Toru LGA of Rivers State to Bayelsa State, instead of paying the money into an escrow account, pending the resolution of the boundary dispute.

    Chairman of the Akuku-Toru Traditional Rulers’ Council Special Boundary Commission, Chief Emmanuel Awoyesuku-Jack, said the boundary dispute was triggered by ex-Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva, when he visited the Soku gas plant.

    Awoyesuku-Jack said Soku people and Akuku-Toru Local Government Council, protested Sylva’s visit, which they described as a breach of protocol.

    He said: “President Jonathan is personally responsible for the boundary dispute between Rivers and Bayelsa States.”

    The three Kalabari LGAs have 1,600 oil wells, while the disputed oil wells produce 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day, while the proceeds, according to the Supreme Court judgment of July 10, should be paid into an escrow account, pending the resolution of the boundary dispute.

    A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof. Nimi Briggs, a Kalabari, urged the Federal Government to do the right thing, in the interest of peace and justice.

    The lawyer to Kalabari people, Ibim Dokubo, insisted that his people would continue to say no to stealing of their wealth and money and would resist being balkanised, while declaring that the boundary dispute had its origin traceable to the President, when he was Bayelsa’s deputy governor.

    Bayelsa State was created out of the old Rivers state on October 1, 1996, during the regime of the late General Sani Abacha.

    Yesterday, the Kalabari protesters carried banners some of which read: “Don’t let the Niger Delta boil again. Be warned”, “Jonathan, please rule with the fear of God”, “Kalabari will resist every attempt to divide and steal our land”, “We stand by the 10th administrative map of Nigeria”, “For the sake of peace, return Soku to its rightful owners”, “Don’t divide Akuku-Toru LGA, don’t steal our land and resources, what you sow, you will reap.”

    The protesters, through their leader, King Gbobo Bobmanuel, who is the Amanyanabo of Abonnema, at the gate of the Government House, Port Harcourt, presented their protest letter to Rivers Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru.

  • Amaechi: we won’t allow Bayelsa to collect Rivers oil wells

    Amaechi: we won’t allow Bayelsa to collect Rivers oil wells

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi talked tough yesterday on oil wells dispute between his state and Bayelsa – the President’s home state.

    “We won’t allow the ceding of our oil wells”, he said.

    Amaechi spoke while opening a legislative capacity building programme for the Rivers State House of Assembly in Calabar, Cross River State.

    He said Rivers and Bayelsa states had never had issues with boundaries, which according to him, are well known to all. He added that since the creation of Bayelsa State, there has been no law or agreement ceding any part of Kalabari communities or Rivers State to Bayelsa State.

    Said the governor: “We will not allow the attempt by the Bayelsa State government to collect our oil wells. I have read what the Bayelsa State governor said. That the 11th edition of the (administrative) map (of Nigeria) gave them the oil wells. When? They didn’t talk about the 1st edition to the 10th edition; they chose to avoid that, and went to the 11th edition, but the question they should answer is, why avoid the previous editions?”

    “But the Federal Government came to court and said, ‘oh we made a mistake in the 11th edition; we will correct it’. They should correct it; the documents were filed by their lawyers, not our lawyers. All we want is for the Federal Government to go back to the 10th edition and correct everything…

    “Bayelsa State was created so many years ago. There has been no law ceding that part of Kalabari kingdom to Bayelsa State. Now, when did it suddenly change? It changed in 2006, but I don’t want to join issues. I want the Kalabari people to represent themselves and I will stand behind them, and all what we are saying is that they should look from the 1st to the 10th edition (of the administrative map) and not an imaginary 11th edition.”

    He went on: “It won’t work; it will certainly not work. No matter how they try to intimidate the agencies of the Federal Government, we will continue to go to court and let our people know that the agencies of the Federal Government are being intimidated; that is what we are saying.”

    Amaechi urged Rivers people to stand behind his administration to ensure justice, equity and fair play in the “sudden” claims by the Bayelsa State Government.

    “All we want is for Rivers people to stand by us; Soku community has been in Rivers State long before Bayelsa State was created. Elem- Sangama is not a ward in Bayelsa State, but they said they don’t want territory, they want derivation, how can that work? Does oil come from the air? He has already answered the question for us, but we must struggle to get back our oil wells.” Amaechi said.

    He added: “Very soon, we shall present the Appropriation Bill. The kind of bills you have passed into law are useful to the people.”

    Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke said no compensation was paid to Bakassi indigenes that are passing through hard times.

    “A whole local government area was collected and handed over to Cameroon and till now, no compensation has been paid to my people. I think it is right for the federal government to look at this problems critically,” Imoke said.