JUST IN: Akwa Ibom Gov Umo Eno Under Fire Over Alleged Discrimination Against Oro Nation

In what appeared like “we are tired of your indignation against our people”, the Oro Nation of Akwa Ibom State under the aegis of Oro Redemption Forum has sent an open letter to the state governor, Pastor Imo Eno, demanding an end to their marginalization.

The 25 paragraphs letter of Oro Redemption Forum was jointly signed by the group’s Chairman, Mr Samuel Mkpofor and Mr Henshaw Assi, the Secretary.

See the position of Oro Nation as expressed in the Open letter.

His Excellency
Pastor Umo Eno, PhD
Executive Governor
Akwa Ibom State
Government House
Uyo.

Your Excellency,

IS MIGHT RIGHT?

1. By God’s infinite wisdom, the Ibibio people were created to be more populous than other ethnic groups in Akwa Ibom State, including the Oro people. However, by our estimation, this demographic difference was not intended to give our Ibibio brothers an opportunity to oppress the Oro people, but rather to enable the two ethnic groups to coexist and complement each other in a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship.
2. God’s design of the human hand illustrates a vital principle: each finger, regardless of size, plays a unique role. Removing the smaller fingers renders the larger ones ineffective. Similarly, the relationship between Oro and Ibibio is interdependent. While Ibibio boasts a larger population, Oro is endowed with an abundance of natural resources, which serve as the lifeblood of the state’s governance.
3. As acknowledged by the Federal Government, Oro produces over 70% of the oil and gas revenues sustaining this state. If might is allowed to dictate our relationship, Oro, despite its smaller population, may be forced to reconsider its participation in the state’s political and administrative structures, potentially ceding all such positions to our Ibibio brothers.
4. Historically, the Oro people have held significant political positions, and history will judge them faithful to their Ibibio brothers and the rest of the state when opportunities arose.
5. The late Senator Victor Akan, a highly influential senator of the Federal Republic at the time, demonstrated exceptional brotherly love towards the Ibibio and Annang people. Notably, he facilitated the establishment of Aluminum Smelter Company (ALSCON) in Ikot Abasi, a decision that greatly benefited the region. This selfless act leaves us pondering whether present-day politicians would exhibit similar altruism and vision.
6. The late Senator Victor Akan equally played a significant role in the emergence of notable Akwa Ibom leaders, including the late Dr. Clement Isong and the late Donald Etiebet as governors. This is another example of the Oro people’s longstanding history of goodwill and support towards their brothers.
7. The Oro people experienced their most favourable treatment from their Ibibio brothers during the tenure of Obong Attah, who prioritized the state’s development without being swayed by ethnic biases. His commitment to fairness led to the approval of an airport and seaport in Oro land. However, ethnic bigots managed to pile unnecessary pressure on him, causing the projects to be derailed. The airport, initially named Akwa Ibom International Airport, Okobo, and the seaport, known as Ibaka Deep Seaport, became entangled in ethnic politics, ultimately falling victim to tribal sentiments.
8. The Udom Emmanuel administration escalated the situation to an absurd level by exerting considerable effort to relocate the seaport to Ibeno and rebrand it as Ibom Deep Seaport. Instead of building a road from Oron to Ibaka, the optimal location for the project, he opted to construct a road from Ibeno to areas outside Oro land. Moreover, Governor Emmanuel attempted to redraw the state’s map in a bid to annex Oro territory, thereby underscoring his apparent animosity towards the Oro people. We must confront these pressing concerns: Does the lopsided appointment of commissioners reflect Your Excellency’s entrenched bias against the Oro people? Is the Governor following a script orchestrated by his predecessor, who spearheaded the “Mbon Oron” Hate Movement? Is this a case of hidden motives behind a deceptive facade? Have the Oro people ever betrayed the trust of the Ibibios? We demand that His Excellency addresses these questions and adopts a more inclusive approach.
9. The barrage of political and economic oppression deliberately targeted at Oro by some of our Ibibio brothers over the decades necessitates these reminiscences and, we would fail our ancestors if we refused to lay these facts bare for history to judge.
10. Ordinarily, Oro would not support anyone linked to Udom Emmanuel. However, we trusted Pastor Umo Eno, hoping his administration would take a different path. We did not want Udom to “eat the sour grapes” while Pastor Umo Eno’s “teeth are set on edge.” We trusted Pastor Umo Eno would depart from Udom’s calculated and sustained scheme to keep Oro economically and politically marginalized. Unfortunately, reality is now staring us in the face.
11. In the past year and a half, we’ve observed a concerning trend in Your Excellency’s administration’s distribution of political offices. Notably, no Oro person holds a chairmanship position in any Grade A board or commission. Furthermore, every Local Government Area in the state has at least one Honorary Special Adviser to Your Excellency’s office, with some having two or three, while Udung Uko has none. This imbalance is also reflected in the governor’s office, where approximately 400 aides are employed, but fewer than 20 are from Oro Nation.
12. Since the end of Arc. Otu Ita Toyo’s tenure as chairman of the ruling party, no Oro person has held a position of significance in the party or state government, and unfortunately, this trend has continued unchanged since Your Excellency took office nearly two years ago.
13. It is puzzling that our Pastor Governor, who campaigned on a promise to remain impartial, would appoint two commissioners from Eket Local Government Area while denying Oron, Udung Uko, and Urue-Offong/Oruko Local Government Areas at least one representative each. This disparity is particularly striking given that Udung Uko  Local Government Area has been excluded from the state executive council for over a decade, whereas Eket has consistently held a seat.
14. If Eket as an ethnic entity is entitled to 3 commissioners by our governor’s estimation, it is only fair to wonder how many commissioners His Excellency believes the Oro people, being the third largest ethnic nationality in Akwa Ibom State should be entitled to?
15. A careful examination of the board appointments reveals a stark underrepresentation of Oro, with less than 3% of members and heads of state boards and commissions coming from Oro.
16. Our Governor had made promises to empower the Oro people through commercial fishing initiatives, including providing cold storage and fish drying facilities. Unfortunately, none of these promises have been fulfilled. While the Governor has offered business support to various individuals, the distribution of this support remains unclear. Furthermore, scholarships and grants have been awarded to numerous students, but the statistics reveals a glaring disparity against the Oro ethnic nationality. This raises a disturbing question: if we can experience such marginalization under a Pastor’s leadership, how can we trust anyone else from Ibibio?
17. The Oro and Ibeno people, driven by the harsh realities of discrimination, oppression, and marginalization, joined forces with parts of Rivers and Bayelsa States to advocate for the creation of Oil Rivers State during the 2014 National Conference. If this systemic segregation persists, the Oro people will be forced to reassess their position in this patently unfair union, and will do so with extreme gravity, firmness, and critical scrutiny.
18. Oro’s waters are home to more than 15 oil and gas companies, in addition to those operating on land. Despite generating the majority of the resources that fund the Akwa Ibom State government, successive administrations have consistently treated Oro as a subjugated territory, disregarding its significant contributions to the state’s wealth.
19. Sadly, a deacon dealt mercilessly with Oro, we then shifted our hope to a revered Pastor. Does it not now appear that the Pastor is hell bent on finishing any little thing that remains of Oro? Time will tell. 
20. It is evidently clear that Oro is passing through these wanton humiliation, subjugation and marginalisation because we have been looked at as those without a big man who can challenge the status quo. For instance, if the Chieftaincy imbroglio that nearly balkanised the state did not also involve Annang who currently has a Senate President, Oro people would still have been wallowing in an existential threat of being third class citizens.
21. The remapping conundrum which was entirely mischievous both in its intention and the skewed but very laughable redrawing has remained a forgotten issue by the state government simply because Oro does not have a national figure to drive its timely reversal. We preach God but is our God an author of suppression?
22. If according to His Excellency’s assertion, that, a Governor is equal to ten Commissioners, with the Deputy Governor being equated to eight Commissioners and SSG also being equal to five Commissioners, why is His Excellency’s and SSG’s Local Governments now entitled to Commissioners whereas non of the two local governments that make up the Deputy Governor’s state Constituency is not considered eligible to be in the state Executive Council? God cannot be mocked.
23. We are seeking a more inclusive representation for the Oro Nation. Specifically, we demand three additional commissionership slots to be allocated to Oro Nation. Furthermore, we propose that each Local Government Area, including those in Oro, should have a commissioner representative. Additionally, we advocate for proportional representation in state boards, commissions, political parties, and civil service positions, ensuring that appointments reflect the state character principle.
24. Our governor should be reminded that his party stakeholders from a certain local government area in Oro Nation were the very first to endorse his candidature. They went ahead to secure majority votes for him in the election. They are therefore deserving of the spoils of this administration.
25. His Excellency is hereby put on notice that Oro Nation teeters on the precipice of existential annihilation. As the age-old adage goes, ‘A man who has nothing to lose, fears nothing. We invoke the God of Natural Justice to empower us to resist, challenge, and fight for our very existence as the powers that be may seek to eradicate every last Oro person to assert complete control over the Oro territory, but we will not surrender without a fierce resistance.
26. Finally, if we are truly a part of Akwa Ibom, we demand a fair treatment like the rest of the state, otherwise, the baseless fallacy that “Akwa Ibom is the most peaceful state”  will go down in history as the greatest lie of the century, because there can be no peace in an atmosphere of deliberate sectionalism and marginalisation. Sincerely yours, Mr Samuel Mkpofor, Chairman Mr Henshaw Assi, Secretary