Governor Umo Eno
…Warn Ibeno To Stay Off Stub Creek Reserved Forest
The people of Eket in Akwa Ibom state have urged the present state government to immediately enforce the State Map law-2023 as a step that will resolve the issues permanently over Oil rich Stubbs Creek Reserved Forest impasse between Eket and Ibeno.
Coming under the umbrella of Uku Ndito Ekid, foremost community based group, the Eket people issued a stern warning to Ibeno people to “stay clear of the Oil rich Stubbs Creek Reserved Forest, fondly called Akoiyak, as it is the exclusive historical and ancestral land of the Eket people, even, as they (Ibeno) have no moral or legal ground to lay claims to its ownership”.
The group insisted that Akoiyak as the legitimate land of Eket people dates back to several judiciary pronouncements of 1916 and others which such judgments have not been upturned nor faulted by any court of competent jurisdiction.
President- General of the group, Mr William Job, made the assertion in a chat with correspondents of some newspapers in Eket at weekend on the sideline of the face –off between the people of Eket, Esit Eket and Ibeno, that resulted in the ongoing communal crisis that disrupts economic activities in the area.
“The Stubb Creek Reserve Forest (A.K.A) Akoiyak is the historical heritage of Eket people, a right they have enjoyed since the creation of humanity and supported by several judicial pronouncements by competent courts since 1916. This right of ownership has never been upturned nor faulted by any court” Job asserted.
He saluted the courage of the Dr. Samuel Udonsak – led Aboriginal Coastal communities of Akwa Ibom State for collaborating with the people of Eket in their quest to ensure no inch of the said Akoiyak is ceded willy-nilly to anybody, corporate or private for any purpose, saying, “I salute the patriotism of Dr. Samuel Udonsak and others for taking the lead in our determination to ensure no inch of our land is ceded to anybody no matter whose ox is gored. This cannot happen in our lifetime.”
According to him the face-off lingers for decades because successive administration in the state lacked the political will to address these issues or refused to do the needful in this circumstance for some inexplicable reasons. Despite this refusal, the ownership of the said land is legally and historically vested in Ekid people as bonifide owners.
Job specifically urged the present administration in the state to immediately enforce the State Map law-2023 as a step that will resolve this issues permanently, saying, “this map should also be published in state documents such as dairies, souvenirs, calendars etc and such document given to both state and federal agencies for immediate compliance”.
He further averred, that “government cannot acquire our land for over ridding public interest and thereafter, sell it to private company for profit making purposes as was obtainable in the case with BUA Group. Thus procedure of acquisition therefore makes the operation of BUA Group at Akoiyak illegal and strange to the laws of our land.
“If for any reason, a part of the reserved forest is de-reserved, BUA group should have met and negotiated its tenancy in Akoiyak with the people of Eket, but regrettably, the government took side with Ibeno against Eket who are the beneficial owners of the reserved forest.
“These act of the government cannot be divorce from the ongoing hostilities that has attracted wider dimension. The government should therefore act immediately to save the situation before it degenerates further”.
