The Rivers State government have lost the whopping sum of N17 Billion in an escrow count to Bayelsa State even as land is still in dispute.
This was made known in a word press conference organized by the Kalabari National Forum on 31 October, 2012 at the Delta Hotel, Harley Street, Old G.R.A.I Port Harcourt.
Before the press conference, thousands of Kalabari people including Chiefs, Elders, Women and Youths staged a peaceful protest. Boro pane to Government House Port Harcourt were they formerly lay them grievances.
At the World Press Conference, the people of Kalabari comprising the various communities Kula, Soku, Oboroma, Elem-Sangana and Abomema through the address presented by HRM King Prof.T.J.T. Princewill decried how the office of the Surveyor General of the Federation and the National Boundary Commission have annexed some reasonable portions of land belonging to the people of Abonema in Rivers State to Bayelsa State, a situation that have caused a serious panic and lost of lands, communities and fishing port that belong to the Abonema people.
In a two page document titled “Clarion call for urgent intervention to prevent imminent crisis in the Niger Delta; “the people of Abonema and other communities in Akuku-Toru local government noted that about 80% of their oil and gas is surreptitiously been given to Bayelsa State.
The people noted that under two Bayelsa indigenes as governor of old Rivers State, Navy Commander Alfred Diete Spiff and Late Chief Melford Okilo even before the creation of Bayelsa State there have been no boundary contention between the two sister states. The Kalabari people warn that if the Niger Delta boils again, they should hold the National Boundary Commission and the Presidency responsible.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the occasion and the Amayanabo of Abonnema, King Disreal Bob-Manuel said the peace loving people of Kalabari are angry because certain selfish individuals want to take their land and give to Bayelsa State because of oil.
King Disreal Observed that there was a clean clear cut boundary between the Kalabaris and the Bayelsa people before and after the state creation.
“The bone of contention is that the Boundary Commission in their 11th Edition of map move the existing boundary from the original place Rivers Santa Baraba to somewhere to favour the Bayelsa people where all the oil well in the area are now given to Bayelsa State despite the judgment given by the Supreme Court on 12th of July, 2012, where the Court warn the Director General of the Commission on the existing errors in the publication”.
He said the Rivers State government have earlier gone to court where the National Boundary Commission admitted and accepted to correct the errors after apologizing to the Rivers State government.
The monarch said the boundary has been further adjusted to Sonabrayo River and they will do everything possible to stop them.
Explaining further he said the Kalabri Kingdom is dated to 14th Century ago and have been in existence for a long number of years.
Others who spoke at the event are Prof. Nimi Briggs, former Vice Chancellor University of Port Harcourt and Barr. Ibim Dokubo, one of the legal teams. There were questions and answers on some key issues from media men. ###
Pius Dukor
