Cross River State Governor Senator Bassey Otu delivered a wide-ranging address in Calabar, calling on traditional and political leaders to rally behind his administration's push to reinstate the state as an oil-producing entity. He described the exclusion of Cross River from the Niger Delta oil-producing states as a "malicious deletion" and vowed to correct the injustice. Otu cited ongoing efforts to reclaim the state's rightful status, particularly through its claim to littoral rights via the Calabar estuary and offshore areas near the Nigerian-Cameroon maritime boundary. He asserted that modern hydrographic studies support Cross River's position, stating, "Nature does not lie. Seaward coastlines speak. Oil is not stagnant." The event gathered former governors Donald Duke and Pam Ogar, serving and former lawmakers, ex-deputy governors, and current deputy governor Peter Odey. Otu highlighted achievements in infrastructure, agriculture, education, tourism and security, while rejecting self-praise in favour of collective action. He quoted wartime resolve, declaring, "We shall fight… we shall never surrender, not because we won't, but because the people will not allow it." Unity, he stressed, is essential, invoking the principle that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Otu acknowledged past administrations, saying, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants like you," and warned against internal divisions undermining the state's cause.
Senator Bassey Otu's invocation of hydrographic evidence to justify Cross River's claim to offshore oil resources shifts the debate from emotion to technical legitimacy. His administration's insistence on littoral rights tied to the Calabar estuary could force a legal and geopolitical reassessment of resource allocation in the Niger Delta. For Nigerians in non-oil-designated states, this sets a precedent where geography and science may challenge long-standing administrative classifications. It also raises the stakes for how regional disputes are settled when facts collide with federal policy.
