BY: Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
The Cross River State House of Assembly has ordered the Special Adviser on Cocoa Development and Control, Mr. Oscar Ofuka from further sales of the State’s Cocoa Estates henceforth or face the law.
It would be recalled that the order was made by the member representing Etung State Constituency and Adviser Extraordinarie to the Speaker, Ntufam (Hon.) Chris Njah Mbu-Ogar, upon a motion on matters of urgent public importance on the floor of the House.
He drew the attention of the House to the unwholesome activities of the Special Adviser, “urging him to stop forthwith the sale/allocation of the State’s Cocoa Estates for additional six years”.
He insisted that further allocation of these Estates for these number years when the current agreements and allocations are still running, spell doom for the future of the teeming youths within the Cocoa Land Lord Communities and the entire Etung local government area.
“The Administration of Senator Ben Ayade which is winding down can not be brought to disrepute by misleading same to delve into avarice and furious acquisitions capable of painting the governor in bad light,”.
Hon. Mbu-Ogar stressed, maintaining that “carrying out any allocation that transcends even beyond the first term of the in-coming administration is simply selfish, illegal and a demonstration of voracious greed.”
The legislator also called on the State Government to obey the Consent Judgement and terms of Settlement issued by the State High Court, Etung Judicial Division to pay up the cumulative Rent/Royalties accrueable to Etung Land Lord Communities, saying that “it will cushion the effect and mitigate the harshness of non availability of arable land, occasioned by the prior donation of their farm land to the State Government for the development of Cocoa Estates”.
