A Professor of Paleontology and Marine Ecology, Etie Ben Akpan, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari in strong disapproval of a recent letter by Oron Union which claimed that over 80% of the oil produced in Akwa Ibom state emanated from their territory.
In his letter themed Re: Letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on the constitution of the management board of the Niger Delta Development Corporation (NDDC): Oron Union and setting the records straight, the don explained that “the Oro Nation or what is politically referred to as Oron Federal Constituency, consists of five local government areas of Mbo, Okobo, Oron, Urue Offong Oruko and Udung Uko.”
He said “it is incorrect to tag the five local government areas as littoral or coastal as they do not directly abort the Atlantic coastline.”
According to him, “They may be regarded as shoreline Local Government Areas. The second issue is that it is absolutely untrue that the five (5) Oro Nation Local Government Areas are the largest oil/gas producing community accounting for over eighty percent (80%) of Akwa Ibom State oil production figure to the Federal purse.
“The implication from this postulation is an attempt to cajole and misled the public to believing that Ibeno Local Government Area, Eket Local Government Area, Esit Eket Local Government Area, Onna Local Government Area, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area and Eastern Obolo Local Government Area that are known and associated with the prolific oil wells of the Niger Delta Basin are accountable to only less than twenty percent (20%) of the Akwa Ibom State total oil output.
“Each entity has her quantum of oil production attached, and it would be ridiculous to think or expect any sensible person to believe that Mbo Local Government Area alone would have an oil production figure higher than the figures of the other seven(7) Local Government Areas combined, as Oron Union has repeatedly stated.
“The purpose of this response is to avail interested members of the public the opportunity to assess the issues at stake and decide for themselves whether or not Oron Union has ‘set the records straight’ as she would want the public to believe,” he stated.
The don described as uncharitable and unwarranted Oron Union’s write-up which portray both Eket and Esit Eket as being land locked local government areas.”
