Abuja: The Utono Ubolo Worldwide, the apex socio-cultural and pro-development organisation of the Obolo people, has renewed calls for the creation of Obolo State and additional local government areas. The group stated that their demand aims to address long-standing marginalisation.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Awaji-Romsan Dressman, Administrator General of the organisation and pioneer leader of the Obolo State Creation Movement, made this appeal during the National Public Hearing on the 1999 Constitution Review in Abuja. Dressman, represented by the Director of Administration, Mr. Isijaan Nkanta, highlighted that the group had previously presented its demands at zonal hearings in Ikot Ekpene and Calabar and was using the national session to reinforce its case.
Dressman explained that the Obolo people, residing across Rivers, Akwa Ibom, other parts of Nigeria, and the diaspora, are also seeking six additional LGAs in Rivers and Akwa Ibom to enhance representation and grassroots governance. He emphasized that their foremost demand remains the creation of Obolo State, listed among 31 new states profiled by the National Assembly, with four proposed for the South-South region. He argued that Obolo State would be viable due to its oil deposits, aquatic resources, seaports, and tourism potential.
Dr. Nicholas Itam, International Chapter Coordinator, stated that the proposed state would complement the Federal Government’s Lagos-Calabar coastal road by unlocking the economic potential of coastal communities. He mentioned that creating Obolo State would not only boost oil revenue but also diversify the economy through fisheries, port development, and tourism.
The group cited political marginalisation, recalling that Akwa Ibom was created based on a power-sharing arrangement among the Ibibio, Annang, and Oron (Obolo) blocs. Itam lamented that the governorship had never rotated to the Oron/Obolo bloc. He also highlighted disputes over ownership of oil-rich communities and emphasized the need for a second homogeneous state for the Ijaw, Nigeria’s fourth largest ethnic group, to rectify the disadvantage they face.
Itam assured neighbouring communities that the new state would expand opportunities through additional constituencies, three senatorial districts, and increased federal representation. He advocated for stakeholder support, stating that the creation of more states and LGAs would spread development to the grassroots.
The group urged the 10th National Assembly to adopt the creation of Obolo State and additional LGAs as part of the ongoing constitution review, claiming that the demands are feasible and in the national interest. The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the event also featured the inauguration of the Utono Ubolo Abuja chapter, along with a platform for various groups to present their views on the constitution review. The proposals will be debated in plenary by both chambers before being transmitted to state assemblies for concurrence.
