An open letter to Governor Udom Emmanuel concerning 2011 oil spill paliative for Eket.

My dear Governor, this letter is being  written under the influence of drugs. 

I am not high nor feeling the least bit euphoric, jittery, or spaced-out. My brain is not acting entirely under its own power, because a few hours ago I took 200 milligrams of the anti-tiredless drugs known in the political pharmacy as DAKKADAMACIN.

With the assistance of this stalwart pharmaceutical sidekick, I have been able to spend the last couple of hours poring over an issue which may soon attract international attention, negatively though, to Akwa Ibom State, by way of youth restiveness in Eket propelled by the non payment of the 2011 Oil Spill palliative to Eket Local Government Area. 

Before I go further on the issue, let me once again congratulate you on your supreme God-mandated victory at the Supreme Court of mortals. As a Pen Oracle, I had seen it coming and had even said it in the public portal that victory will be yours because the god of equity was running errands for you during the volcanic  8 months of the historic legal battle to unseat you. To God be the glory. Let me also congratulate and commend you for manufacturing the fast selling drugs, DAKKADAMACIN, which has propelled me to write this letter. It moves me to rise in defense of truth, to rise to the faith of greatness by speaking against what is evil, against what is retrogressive to the society. If every Akwaibomite gets addicted to this drug of yours, there will be no corruption, no political mudslinging, no victimization and no sharks to be afraid of in the socio-political ocean of Akwa Ibom State because everybody will be his brother’s keeper. 

Back to the bone of contention, sometime in 2011, during the regime of your predecessor, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, a major Oil Spill occurred from ExxonMobil facilities and impacted very negatively on the core oil producing areas of Ibeno, Eket, Onna and Esit Eket. After series of rigmarole and dragging of feet, the company, through the intervention of then Governor Godswill Akpabio, agreed to own up on the spillage. The rest of the story is well known by you because as then secretary to the State Government, the matter was on your table.

Succinctly put Sir, having been distracted within the past 8 months on your avowed tasks to develop and industrialized the State, you do not need any unnecessary distraction again.

But from the rumblings of a dark cloud, ominously hovering around Eket as a result of the non payment of the so-called oil spill palliative to the people, you may soon, as the Chief Security Officer of the State, have to contain with youth restiveness in the area because from all indication, the youth are spoiling for war with the oil giant. 

Reason, Ibeno, Onna and Esit Eket Local Government Areas have been paid their “compensation” leaving Eket out. The thinking of the people is that some quantity of water is going under the bridge and that some ExxonMobil staff in brazen connivance with some powerful indigenes of Eket may have deposited the money into a fixed deposit account somewhere. They have the liberty to think the way they are thinking because there is a communication gap between the people and the company. A contractual silence, as dangerous as it is, further exacerbates the frosty relationship between the Eket community and the and the company.

Your Excellency Sir, in this era of DAKKADAMACIN, never again should the people of the State be cheated under whatever pretext by Corporate individuals doing business in the State. Never again should we suffer in silence under the brazen despoliation of our environment by ExxonMobil. Enough of the sitting down. We must DAKKADA to the faith of greatness and claim our patrimonial rights. 

Finally Sir, some people may not be happy that I have written to you this letter. Don’t mind them, your drug is working in me. Thank you Sir, for giving me this 10 minutes of your time. The pen oracle has spoken.