Coastal Highway: Akwa Ibom Women Protest Non-Payment Of Compensation

Tension has continued to pervade the the Ekid ethnic nationality of Akwa Ibom State over the planned take over of the disputed Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve which the ongoing Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway is expected to traverse to its terminal point in the neighbouring Calabar, Cross River State.

Under the aegis of the Ekid People’s Union (EPU), led by the president- general, Dr. Samuel Udonsak; the Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman and former minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chief Nduese Essien , and elders, leaders and stakeholders of the Ekid nation, had issued caveat emptor on the expansive mangrove reserve rich in oil, gas, minerals and other maritime resources, warning against trespassing by government.

They recalled that the 1918 privy judgement had vested the ownership right to reserve on the Ekid nation, and therefore, asked the state government to pay commensurate compensation before accessing the forest now renamed “Akoiyak Ekid”, or steer clear, a claim the State government disputed.

Consequently, the Attorney and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN, had on behalf of the government, warned against any form of confrontational postures by the Ekid nation, arguing that the so-called 1918 privy judgement was in favour of the government.

However, the position of government has ignited anger as hundreds of women from Ekid Nation, under the banner of “Akoiyak Ekid Women,” poured out to the streets of Eket local government area in protest.

Clad entirely in black, to denounce what they described as a calculated assault on their history, land, and dignity, the protesters armed with placards of varying  inscriptions such as: “Akoiyak Is Ekid Ancestral Land”; “Stop the Plundering of Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve”; “Umo Bassey Eno, Stop Insulting Ekid” and “Privy Council Judgment of 1918 Affirmed Ekid Ownership,” among others.

The women marched through major streets of Eket, sending a clear message of collective outrage and defiance, and urged the government to address their grievances.

“The protest was triggered by a press release issued by the Akwa Ibom State Government which controversially claimed that the 1918 Privy Council judgment did not confer ownership of Akoiyak Ekid on Ekid Nation or any party.

“To the Ekid people, that statement was not only false but an open provocation, one they insist amounts to a dangerous rewriting of history,” one of the protesters explained.

LEADERSHIP Weekend observed that the tensions became more inflamed following a Caveat Emptor issued by the EPU, warning the public against the illegal sale of portions of Akoiyak Ekid land by the State government to private investors without consultation with the indigenous owners, Ekid Nation.

Also, the anger was said to have been exacerbated by the Governor Umo Eno’s reported branding of the lawful action of the EPU, as an act of terrorism.

Speaking with journalists during the protest, the leader of the women, Obonganwan Eunice Udom, demanded for accountability and justice in the matter.

“The governor must apologise to Ekid people for calling us terrorists. He has lived, worked, and prospered in Eket for over 35 years. Yet today, he insults our husbands and labels our children enemies of the State. We will not accept this,” she declared.

She warned that the protest would continue until “the Governor publicly retracts his statement and acknowledges the injury done to the Ekid people.”

A youth leader, who spoke under condition of anonymity, was even more blunt, vowing that “nothing on earth will make Ekid Nation support Umo Eno for a second term.”

Meanwhile, the president general of the Ekid People’s Union (EPU), Dr. Samuel Udonsak, has called for calm, urging restraint amid the rising tension. He maintained, however, that the Ekid position remains legally unassailable.

“We have more than enough evidence to puncture the press release issued by the state government. Our caveat was necessitated by the unauthorised sale of portions of Akoiyak Ekid, to private investors without consulting the rightful landowners,” he said.

Also reacting, Obongiwaad Captain Willie Mbong, president of Afigh Iwaad Ekid, an apex socio-cultural group of the Ekid people stated that the government’s press release has deepened the already poisoned relationship between Ekid and the Akwa Ibom State Government, while dangerously stoking tensions between Ekid and Ibeno communities, who also are laying claim to the land.

“This statement has exacerbated bad blood and pushed the region closer to avoidable conflict,” he warned.

To forestall further breach of public peace, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Baba Azare, it was learnt, has summoned the EPU president general, Dr. Samuel Udonsak, and secretary, Hon. Bassey Dan Abia Jr, to appear before him on Friday, January 9, with a view to ironing out areas of grievances and a way out to resolving the nagging dispute.