Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government has accused the Rivers counterpartt of lying over the ownership of the Soku oilfields/wells.
The Rivers State government had recently said it has been given the ownership of the oil wells based on a judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja which ordered the National Boundary Commission (NBC) to effect an error on its administrative map and marked the boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa states at Santa Barbara River.
Bayelsa State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Andrew Seweniowor, who stated that Rivers State government made false claims over the ownership of the oil wells, said the Rivers government officials were being economical with the truth.
According to him, the Supreme Court in Suit No. CS/106/2009 had struck out the action of Rivers State claiming ownership “on the grounds that it was futile and premature to determine the boundaries of the two states insofar as the NBC had not delineated the boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa states.”
Seweniowor noted that on the case of the ownership of the oil well, the Supreme Court never made a specific order directing the NBC to delineate the disputed boundaries.
“Albeit, it is part of the statutory function of the NBC to deal with, determine and intervene in any boundary dispute that may arise between any two states of the federation with a view to settling such dispute.”
He said the Supreme Court in the lead judgment, delivered by Galadima JSC held as follows:
“It is on account of the foregoing and because of the technical nature of the dispute and the claims of the parties this court finds that the NBC as an authority vested with authorities and expertise know-how in dealing with this matter should have once and for all conducted an exhaustive exercise of delineating the disputed boundary. Hence the long-awaited 12th Edition of the administrative map when completed soonest would have been of tremendous assistance in settling this lingering dispute.”
He explained that as a result of the decision of the Supreme Court Suit in No. CS/106/2009, the NBC in exercise of its statutory functions commenced the efforts to exhaustively and finally resolve the boundary dispute between Rivers and Bayelsa states with the constitution of Joint Technical Committee on the Bayelsa/Rivers Interstate Boundary, the deputy governors of both states leading their respective state’s delegation.
Seweniowor stated, however that after a couple of meetings of the aforesaid committee, on January 30, 2013, the Rivers State delegation, led by the then deputy governor, Tele Ikuru, formally announced the withdrawal of the state’s delegation from further deliberation and participation in the joint delimitation and demarcation exercises until certain conditions, he articulated, which included the payments of all revenue from the disputed oil wells into an Escrow Account under the Accountant General of the Federation are met.