Chairman, Ibeno Youths, Kingsley Asuquo
By Akpan David, Calabar
Ibeno youths in Akwa Ibom State have taken to the streets, protesting the reported redrawing of Akwa Ibom State map by its House of Assembly where at least 16 gazetted communities have been allegedly ceded to neighbouring Onna and Eket local government areas of the state.
The youths have vowed to resist the the attempt with their blood, pleading that the state government should not force them to react negatively.
Chairman of the Ibeno Youths, Kingsley Asuquo spoke in an interview in Calabar, saying they have already sent warning signals to the state government, urging them to allow the status quo to remain.
He described the remapping as illegal and politically motivated.
He called on the President Mohammadu Buhari to intervene before the youths make the state ungovernable.
Asuquo said the endorsement of the Petroleum Industry Bill should not be used as a yardstick to marginalise them.
He said it’s not a crime to come from an oil producing community, adding that soon after the PIB was passed people began to claim what does not belong to them
“We are completely dissatisfied and the youths are very agitated. At this point you can consider that we have been pushed to the wall and it has come to a point where we cannot take it any longer.
“It’s not a crime to come from an oil producing community; we did not put ourselves in this place. God Almighty puts us here in Ibeno and we have the divine right to enjoy anything that comes from the oil producing community.
“This should not be the reason why we should become the victim of everything form of sharing.
“The endorsement of the Petroleum Industry Act as a working document of Mr President is not a yardstick for everything in the state to be upturned against us. We say no!.
“The map Akwa Ibom state is having today was not made today, that map has been there for over 30-years. Nobody agitated, nobody complained, nobody proposed for a change and remapping.
“Suddenly after the PIA has been passed, people began to impose themselves, trying to tear Ibeno apart by initiating new map to make them an oil producing community. We did not make ourselves an oil Producing community; it’s by divine grace that we are here,so we disagree,we will resist this to any level, any attempt to take any plot of Ibeno from us, this is our ancestral property.
“We have seen a new map that has turned us apart completely. We are saying no to that,be it our local government chairman,be it the state government, we are saying no.”
Another youth leader, Friday Ubong called on the state government to stop creating unnecessary tension between the Ibeno and it neighbouring local government areas
“We are not happy with what is going on. Since Akwa Ibom state was created 34-years ago, we have never experienced what we are seeing.”
This is very bad, personal interest has come to the mind of our leaders, but they was vowed never to allowed personal interest to overwhelm them, but now is a story