“Time Has Come for Obolo State” — Oro-Obolo Leaders Storm Ikot-Ekpene , Urge Tinubu, Senate to Approve Obolo State 

By Pan Afric Reporters Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa-Ibom state Nigeria — 5 July 2025

Leaders of the Oro and Obolo ethnic nationalities converged at the South South Zone of the ongoing constitution review public hearing holding 4-Point Sheraton Hotel, Akwa-Ibom on Friday and Saturday with a unified plea to the Federal Government to carve out and create Obolo State from parts of Akwa Ibom so their largely coastal areas can finally “share in Nigeria’s development cake.”

Flanked by traditional rulers, youth representatives, women and community associations, the delegation in a press briefing on Saturday at the Public Hearing Venue said the proposed state when created will be self sustained considering high level of mineral deposits.

“We have one common progenitor; one blood runs in our veins,” the gathering’s convener declared. “At roughly 10,000 square kilometres and well over one million people, with proven oil and gas reserves, we can sustain ourselves and still contribute to Nigeria’s growth.”

Would them pull together the five Oro-dominant LGAs in Akwa Ibom — Oron, Udung Uko, Urue-Offong/Oruko, Mbo and Okobo — as well as Ibeno, Eastern Obolo and Andoni LGAs spread across Akwa Ibom and Rivers to create the new state?

Speakers catalogued decades-long grievances: poor road infrastructure, scarce state jobs, and an alleged mismatch between the region’s oil output and benefits received.

His Supreme Majesty, HRM KING BENSON EGWENRE, ORUK I7, OKAMA OF ATABA KINGDOM, PARAMOUNT RULER OF ANDONI LGA RIVERS STATE, CHAIRMAN ORO OBOLO COUNCIL OF TRADITIONAL RULERS, called the Obolo agitation “a just course,” arguing that the Ijaw nation — Nigeria’s fourth-largest ethnic bloc — needs another “truly Ijaw” state beyond Bayelsa.

“State creation is a vehicle for development,” the monarch told Journalists during a press conference. “When Bayelsa left Rivers, Yenagoa transformed. We want the same for our coastal homeland — schools, roads, industry and a sense of belonging.”

Sylvester Kaiser, emeritus president of the Oron Development Union, reeled off what he termed “extreme, uncommon marginalisation,” including the absence of a dual carriageway in Oron Nation and limited representation in Akwa Ibom State civil service.

The coalition urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose “Renewed Hope” agenda promises grassroots development, to support the demand as part of the ongoing constitutional-review process. They also appealed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, himself a former governor of Akwa Ibom, to shepherd an enabling bill through the National Assembly.

“An idea whose time has come — nothing can stop it,” the spokesman said, cautioning opponents to “calm down” because the group is “not asking for anybody’s land.”

The youth wing pressed the Senate committee to embark on a fact-finding tour of the riverine zone to witness “areas begging for development” firsthand. They argued that creating the state would curb insecurity along the Gulf of Guinea coastline: “When people own the project, they protect it.”

Under Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, a new state requires approval by two-thirds of state assemblies and both chambers of the National Assembly, followed by presidential assent. Analysts say the hurdle is high, but Friday’s show of unity across multiple LGAs and two states gives the Obolo campaign fresh momentum.

For now, the leaders say they will keep lobbying — armed with ancestral claims, demographic data and what they describe as an “irreversible” aspiration.

“We are peaceful; we are focused; we are resilient,” the convener concluded. “Allow us to be free.”