There were firestorms of reactions from a section of the Oron community since last week Saturday when the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel accused the Oron Union, a socio-political group of writing unfounded, spurious and unsubstantiated petitions to scuttle the Ibom Deep Seaport Project.

Starnews Nigeria reports that the governor had on Saturday last week accused the group of writing unsubstantiated petitions to scuttle the Akwa Ibom Deep Seaport Project when he featured on the 9th edition of the popular Television and Radio program titled “the Governor Speaks”

Enraged by the Governor’s accusation, many people loyal to the group poured invectives on the Governor, saying that he did not put the facts right; and also denied writing any petition to scuttle the project while others crossed the red line, amid uncomplimentary remarks on the person of the governor.

Some people descended to the level of making all manners of reprehensible assertions against Governor Udom with a lot of lies to allegedly blackmail him.

Facts have, however, emerged to show that the Oron Union indeed wrote petitions to the Federal Ministry of Transport with the alleged intention to frustrate the Akwa Ibom Deep Seaport Project.

The incontrovertible fact has now revealed that the Governor was right when he accused the Oron Union of acting against the development of Akwa Ibom State by writing unfounded, spurious and unsubstantiated petitions to the Federal Government to scuttle the Ibom Deep Seaport Project.

A source at the Federal Ministry of Transportation told our reporter that Governor Udom Emmanuel was very right in his accusation against the group.

It was gathered that the Federal Ministry of Transportation wrote a letter dated April 22, 2021, in response to a petition submitted by Oron Union against the Ibom Deep Seaport Project via its counsel.

The letter, which was signed on behalf of the Minister by AD Suleiman, Director of Maritime Services, referenced the Petition number: IDSP/ 02/21/ MOT written by the group’s counsel and titled “Illegal Relocation of Ibaka Deep Seaport from Ibaka Bay to Ibeno Bay”

It reads in part; “the Ministry conducted an extensive in-depth investigation into the matter with the view to establishing the veracity or otherwise of the allegation. The petition was consequently found to be lacking in merit, and unsupportive of the reality on the ground.

“Accordingly, you are enjoined to advise Oron Union to cooperate and support Akwa Ibom State Government in its quest to successfully and timely execute the project for the overall interest of the citizens of the State and the Nigerian economy.”

An official of the Ministry of Transportation, who made the letter available to our reporter under the condition of anonymity said; “Oron Union owes His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel and indeed the entire peace-loving and developmentally conscious people of Akwa Ibom State apologies for putting their selfish interest over those of the State in particular and the nation in general.”