Kanu Agabi SAN presenting a memorandum for the creation of Ogoja state
State creation dominates constitutional review exercise in Cross River
Ani Bassey
Kanu Agabi SAN presenting a memorandum for the creation of Ogoja state
Demand for state creation dominated presentations by various groups during the constitutional review exercise by the House of Representatives in Calabar, Cross River State.
Most of the presentations made a demand for state creation particularly demands for Ogoja State, Atlantic State, Obolo and Bori state among others.
The proposed Ogoja State is expected to be created from the present day Cross River State and comprise mostly local government areas from the northern and central senatorial districts of the state.
For Obolo state, stakeholders are requesting that it be excised from seven local government areas in Akwa Ibom State and the Andoni area of Rivers State.
The affected local government areas which are largely the coastal areas of Akwa Ibom State are Oron, Okobo, Ureffong Oroko, Udung Uko, Mbo, Ibeno and Eastern Obolo.
Other demands are Atlantic and Bori states from the present day Rivers State.
Submitting a memorandum for the creation of Ogoja state, a former attorney general and minister of Justice Kanu Agabi, SAN, said the demand is not borne out of malice but in good faith.
“This agitation is not rooted in malice. It is made in good faith. Our ancestors, when they promulgated the Constitution, realized beforehand that a time like this will come.
“They appreciated that conditions in our country will compel communities to make demands of the type that we now make.
“And so, they made provisions in the Constitution which you, Honourable representatives of the people have come to implement and give effect to”, he said.
He further posited that the greatest resources of the proposed state are the people who are intelligent, resilient, hardworking, humble and honest.
Leader of the team and minority leader of the House of Representatives Hon. Kingsley Chinda said the desire of the 10th Assembly said hope to make a constitution which is owned by the people.
He said the constitutional amendment exercise will take place twice within the life of the 10th Assembly and they hope to complete the amendment by the end of the year.
