Soku Oil Wells Belong to Rivers as Confirmed by Extant Court Judgment, Wike Insists

·        Dickson's Outburst due to self-inflicted frustration

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the Soku Oil Wells belong to the government and people of Rivers State as affirmed by the Federal High Court and based on the admission by the National Boundary Commission (NBC).

He noted that NBC had admitted that it erroneously shifted the boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa States from River Santa Barbara to River Saint Batholomew in the 11th Edition of the Administrative Map of Nigeria.

Wike stated this on Monday in Port Harcourt while addressing journalists in reaction to allegations by Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, that the Rivers State Governor was hyping the judgment over the disputed oil wells to cause division among the Ijaw nation.

Dickson had during a media chat at the Government House in Yenagoa, alleged that Wike was merely using the disputed oil wells between the two sister states to create disunity and to cover up the deliberate underdevelopment of Rivers Ijaw communities by pretending to be their champion.

Dickson also said as a Nigerian and a bona fide Ijaw son, he and indeed any past or future governor of the state reserved every right to travel anywhere without being questioned by anybody.

In his reaction, Wike described the allegations made against him by his Bayelsa counterpart as the baseless ranting of a frustrated politician who is yet to come to terms with his losses.

"In 2002, the NBC altered the boundary in the 11th Edition of the Administrative Map of Nigeria. They made a mistake by shifting the boundary from River Santa Barbara to River St Batholomew. At the Supreme Court, the NBC wrote a letter a admitting their error.

"The Supreme Court made an order for the NBC to correct the error of the 11th Edition in the 12th Edition,” he said

Wike said seven years after the Supreme Court gave the order, the NBC was yet to effect the correction. He said that preliminary report on the 12th Edition, indicated that the NBC made no attempt to obey the order of the Supreme Court.

His words: "We had to sue the NBC to enforce the order of the Supreme Court, where they were directed to ensure that the Boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa State is River Santa Barbara.

"Judgment has been given. The best the Bayelsa State Governor can do is to go on appeal.

"You cannot heap your frustration on us. We have nobody to carry guns, so the best place to go is the court."

Wike stated that he was elected by Rivers people to protect their interests and that there is nothing personal in the fight for Soku Oil Wells.

"I am protecting what belongs to Rivers State Ijaw. I am protecting what belongs to Rivers State.

"The Outgoing Bayelsa State Governor is the one trying to cause disharmony by attempting to collect what belongs to the Ijaw in Rivers State,” he said.

He stated that contrary to Dickson’s allegations, he has in four years executed more projects in Ijaw land than his Bayelsa counter part had done in eight years.

The governor said: "I read Governor Dickson's outburst on almost all national dailies today. I also watched it on television last night. As a governor, there are some levels you cannot descend to. 

"It is unfortunate that frustration can lead to a lot of things. God will never allow me to get to that level. I understand the frustration, it was self-inflicted. Nobody inflicted the frustration on him."

He challenged the Bayelsa State Governor, to a debate on projects executed in the eight local government areas of that state, compared to the projects has executed in the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.

Wike said: "If truly he is an Ijaw person, which of the Ijaw land am I causing disharmony. That I am protecting what belongs to Rivers people and you are coming to take it. Between us, who is causing disharmony.

Before you said I have not done anything for Ijaw communities, let's start from your state, you have been in government for eight years and I have been in government for four and half years, let's check the projects in the two states. 

"Contrary to the allegation by the Outgoing Bayelsa State Governor, there is no local Government Area in Rivers State where we don't have projects.  Let him mention the projects he has in the eight local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.  Dickson cannot in all ramifications compare himself to me in terms of development."

Wike said while Rivers State is a major construction site, the Bayelsa State Governor has failed his people by failing to utilise their resources judiciously.

He said that for a small state like Bayelsa, it was wrong for Dickson to expend N70 billion on an uncompleted airport, when Bayelsa State lacks good roads and basic infrastructure.

He regretted that the outgoing Bayelsa State Governor refused to respect the rules of Protocol, when he visited the Amanyanabo of Kalabari without informing the Rivers State Government.