We are here with full support to Obolo State Creation
God have a good thought about Obolo people
FEAR AND THE QUEST FOR JUSTICE: THE OBOLO STATE DEBATE AND THE RISING TIDE OF SELF-DETERMINATION
"The fear of the Creation of Obolo State by the Ibibios of Akwa Ibom State is the beginning of Justice for the Marginalized." - Chief Collins
This statement is not a mere political provocation—it is a profound commentary on the realities of ethnic imbalance, marginalization, and the cry for justice echoing from the banks of the Atlantic in Eastern Obolo to the highlands of Ibibio, Tiv, and Hausa. It is a statement that strips power of its pretenses and calls out a truth long whispered in corridors of power: that when the oppressed demand justice, it is often the privileged who tremble.
The fear of Obolo State is not without context. For decades, the Obolo people—an ancient ethnic nationality with a distinct language, culture, and geography—have existed as a minority within Akwa Ibom State. Despite being the economic lifeblood of the state through their oil-rich lands and coastal resources, the Obolos have continued to live under the shadows of political exclusion, administrative neglect, and cultural erasure. Their lands are exploited, their voices muffled, and their dreams delayed.
Yet, the Obolo people have not asked for war, rebellion, or separation from Nigeria. They have simply asked for a state—a federated unit that reflects their identity, respects their culture, and gives them a fair place in the nation they call home. That demand, legitimate and constitutional as it is, has been met with fear, suspicion, and subtle opposition from dominant ethnic groups, particularly the Ibibio political elite.
But that fear, ironically, is not a sign of illegitimacy—it is the beginning of justice.
When those who have benefitted from decades of skewed representation and unequal distribution of state resources begin to fear the political awakening of a long-sidelined people, it reveals something deeper: the realization that justice is catching up with privilege. The fear of the creation of Obolo State is not about Obolo being unqualified—it is about the anxiety of losing an inherited monopoly over political power, budgetary allocations, and strategic appointments.
In a fair and just federation, state creation is not a zero-sum game. It is a process of inclusion, of balancing development, of ensuring that no people are too small to be heard or too distant to be remembered. If the Ibibios or any other dominant group oppose Obolo State, they must not do so from a place of fear, but from a place of logic, justice, and dialogue. Let the Obolo people present their case as others have done. Let it be examined on the basis of merit, population, viability, geographical contiguity, and national interest—not on the basis of ethnic domination or political anxiety.
The National Assembly must rise beyond ethnic alliances and political lobbying. It must listen to the voices of the forgotten—those like the Obolos, the Igalas, the Itsekiris, the Idomas, and other marginalized groups who continue to live on the peripheries of power in a nation founded on the promise of unity in diversity. Denying them justice today may breed resentment tomorrow; listening to them today can birth a more equitable Nigeria for future generations.
It is time for Nigeria to truly practice federalism—not in name, but in structure. The creation of Obolo State is not a threat to unity; it is a reaffirmation of it. It tells every Nigerian child, from Sokoto to Calabar, from Maiduguri to Bayelsa, that no voice is too small, no identity too irrelevant, and no people too remote to matter.
To the Obolo people: your resilience is your weapon. Your civility is your strength. Your history is your claim. And your call for justice, though resisted, is not in vain. The fear you have stirred in the hearts of the comfortable is the very proof that your cry for statehood is shaking the conscience of the nation.
And to those who fear the dawn of Obolo State: fear not justice, for it does not destroy—it restores. Fear not equity, for it does not diminish—it balances. Fear not the rise of a people who have waited for decades to be seen. Instead, join them in building a Nigeria where justice is not a privilege of the few, but a right for all.
The creation of Obolo State is not just about geography—it is about identity, dignity, and the unfinished business of Nigeria’s federalism. Let us not delay justice any longer, for every delay deepens the wound of marginalization.
Let the healing begin.
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About the Author
Chief Collins is a public affairs analyst, educationist, and advocate for equity, justice, and grassroots development. He writes from Iko Town, Eastern Obolo, Akwa Ibom State.
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