By Diana-Okon EffiongSenator representing Akwa Ibom South (Eket) Senatorial District in Akwa Ibom State, Senator Helen Esuene, has sued for stronger ties between the people of Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
She also stated that those fanning the embers of disunity between the two sisters states using the issue of the oil wells saga were out for mischief.
She made the appeal at a book launch in Calabar titled ‘’Cross River State: First 45 years’’ which is authored by former Head of Service in the late Brigadier Gen. Jacob Esuene’s government, Chief Wilfred Inah.
Senator Esuene said it was unnecessary to whip up sentiments of disunity and acrimony using the oil wells saga since the relationship between the people of the two sisters states predates the oil wells issue.
Lamenting that the oil wells issue has become subject of discussion in public fora, the Senator said such development was capable of causing disaffection between brothers and sisters of the two states.
She warned that such development should be ignored and “should not be central issue in public discussion’’.
The Senator who was represented at the event by a former Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Bassey Essien, said the erstwhile Cross River from which Akwa Ibom was created has remained as one entity uniting the people of the two sisters states.
She said that the idea of creating Akwa Ibom out of Cross River was not for disunity and acrimony but for even distribution of development.
She also warned those encouraging disunity between the people of the two sister states to desist in the interest of peace and unity.
She commended the elders of Cross River who championed the cause of creating Akwa Ibom out of Cross River state for their kind thoughts which ensured the creation of the sister state.
In an interview shortly after the ceremony, the former speaker stated that since the issue of zoning of political offices was constitutional, it was the turn of the Eket Senatorial District in Akwa Ibom state to produce the next governor of the state.
He said his argument is predicated on the fact that the two other senatorial districts of Ikot Ekpene and Uyo have taken their respective slots in the governorship while Eket senatorial district was still lagging behind.
Essien urged the people of Eket Senatorial District to work hard for the slot adding that power has never been given on a platter of gold noting that as gold you have to dig deep
The former speaker used the occasion to debunk speculations that the people of the senatorial district were not united over the course of producing the next governor of the state.
Earlier, former Minister of Finance, Etubom Anthony Ani said the exercise which led to the carving out of Akwa Ibom from Cross River state was championed mostly by some elders from Cross River.
He said the elders had considered that development projects must spread evenly among the people of the two sister states.
Ani said that the creation of Akwa Ibom state was not borne out of disunity but of massive development.
Ani said that the attitude of those fanning the embers of disunity of the two sister states using the oil wells saga as an issue was condemnable.
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