A long-running dispute over the ownership of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve in Akwa Ibom State is now threatening the construction of the vital Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, raising fears that the major infrastructure initiative could be derailed by disagreements between local communities and government authorities. The coastal highway, a multibillion-naira Federal Government project expected to link Lagos in the west with Cross River State in the east, is planned to pass through the disputed forest reserve near the Atlantic Ocean.
The contention involves the people of Eket, Esit Eket and Ibeno Local Government Areas, each of which asserts historical claims to the forest land. Residents from these communities have disputed ownership for decades, a conflict that has also affected other planned investments in the area, including a proposed BUA Group oil refinery.
The latest flashpoint came during the inauguration of a primary healthcare facility in Eket, when Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno reiterated that the government’s plan to route the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway through Stubbs Creek would proceed. The governor described the forest reserve as government land and said no group would stop the project in the interest of public development.
Governor Eno’s remarks triggered a sharp reaction from the Ekid People’s Union. In a statement, the union’s Board of Trustees Chairman Ndueso Essien, a former national lawmaker, criticised the governor’s comments as hurtful and misleading. He said the community had resisted responding in anger but that the language used by some officials, including supporters of the government, had been weaponised into a narrative that unfairly painted Ekid people as enemies of progress.
The Ekid People’s Union insists it is pursuing its rights lawfully and rejects suggestions that its efforts to assert ownership amount to opposition to development. The statement stressed the need for a peaceful and fair resolution that respects the history and rights of the Ekid people.
In counter-statements, the state government, through the Commissioner for Justice Uko Essien Udom, has denied that the disputed land belongs exclusively to any ethnic group or community. Officials pointed to a historic legal case Ntiaro and Ikpak v. Ibok Etok Akpan and Edoho Ekid decided by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1918, which the government says neither granted ownership to the Ekid people nor to any other party. Udom argued that misinterpretations of the ruling have been circulated and described ownership claims based on such interpretations as misleading.
The justice commissioner also explained that the Stubbs Creek land was formally established as a forest reserve by the colonial government in 1930 and amended several times thereafter. Under the Land Use Act and Nigeria’s constitution, land within Akwa Ibom State is vested in the governor to hold in trust for the benefit of all citizens. The government reassured the Federal Government of its support for the highway project, including the provision of access rights for construction.
State authorities say they have invited community leaders to roundtable discussions but expressed concern that there has been no meaningful engagement so far. Observers warn that unless dialogue improves and a negotiated settlement is reached, the ownership dispute could place the coastal highway project in jeopardy, similar to how plans for the BUA refinery were affected by land disagreements.
Tension over land rights and development is not unique to this region, and many see the Stubbs Creek conflict as part of wider debates about how to balance community interests, historical claims and national infrastructure priorities. The situation highlights the challenges governments often face when planning major projects that intersect with local histories and identities.
As the deadline for the highway project approaches, stakeholders from all sides will be closely watching whether open dialogue and legal clarity can pave the way for progress on the coastal route, or whether unresolved disputes might stall one of Nigeria’s most ambitious transport initiatives.
