While the people of Rivers State are still in jubilation mood over the judgment of the Federal High Court returning the Soku oil fields to the state, the National Boundary Commission and Bayelsa State government are kicking against it, writes Davidson Iriekpen
Citing the judgment of the Supreme Court, Justice Ekwo said the NBC had in its letter dated July 3, 2002, replying Rivers State government’s protest admitted its mistake and promised to rectify it in the 12th edition of the administrative map, but never did.
In the map, rather than maintain Santa Barbara River as the boundary between the Kalabari in Rivers State and Nembe in Bayelsa State as all previous delineations and all historical records, the 11th edition administrative map had shifted the boundary west of this rivers to San Bartholomew River. When the correction was not made, in 2009, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi instituted Suit N0 SC/106/2009 between its Attorney General vs. Attorney General of Bayelsa State & Others at the Supreme Court. The apex court in its ruling held that it would be appropriate to await the final delineation of the boundary by the NBC.
That was, indeed, the position of things until Amaechi alerted the state and the nation about a clandestine disbursement of N17 billion from the Supreme Court-ordered escrow account from the disputed oil wells to Bayelsa State by the federal government under the then President Goodluck Jonathan. It added: “The 11th Edition of the Administrative Map, prepared by the national boundary commission and the federal surveyor general’s office in 1999, but published in 2000, strangely shifted the boundaries between Rivers and Bayelsa States from the initial boundary between Kalabari and Nembe, west of the Santa Barbara River, to San Bartholomew River, contrary to the delineation by all preceding administrative maps of Nigeria and all historical records.
The court also made an order deeming the administrative boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa States to be River Santa Barbara in accordance with the admission of the defendant as per its letter of July 3, 2002 and the definitive order of the Supreme Court entered and made on July 7, 2012.
“We sued the NBC. By interpreting the Supreme Court judgment that for now, since you’re unable to demarcate the boundary, then let the oil wells be in Rivers State, where it used to be, pending when the National Boundary Commission is ready to implement the Supreme Court judgment. We are happy for what happened today. We don’t believe in fighting; we only believe in following due process.”
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