The faceoff between Cross River and Akwa Ibom state governments over the controversial 76 oil wells has taken new dimension as Cross River State Commissioner of Information, Akin Rickett, has denied any secret between his state government and Akwa Ibom State over amicable solution.
Speaking in Calabar, the state capital yesterday, Chief Rickett said, “It is not true that we are discussing discreetly with Akwa Ibom state government over the 76 oil wells.”
Rickett said even though there had been no meeting between the two states as speculated, “There is absolutely nothing wrong in our state using alternative routes to reach harmony and amicable resolution on the oil wells saga, and or any other matter.”
It would be recalled that following the July 10 Supreme Court ruling that the 76 oil wells belong to Akwa Ibom State, the Cross River government swiftly questioned and disagreed with the apex court judgment.
This led to a press war between the two sister states, leading to a demand by Akwa Ibom that Cross River pay it N18.5 billion which it claimed was wrongly deducted by Revenue Mobilisation and Allocation Committee and given to Cross River but which the latter vowed that it could not comply with.