Cross River State Communities
Demand Compensation Over Superhighway Project
By Anietie
Akpan, Calabar
20
November 2017 | 4:25 am
Ongoing clearing of the project site for the super highway. PHOTO:
Heinrich Böll Stiftung Nigeria
Some communities
in Cross River have decried the commencement of work by the state government on
the 275 km superhighway project without meeting the 23 stipulated conditions
prescribed by the Federal Government.
The areas which
include; Ikot Okpo Ene, Ikot Ndarake and Ikot Abasi Effiom amongst others in
Akpabuyo local government said they have lost their farmlands, economic trees
without due compensation. They also alleged that their children are not going
to school again as a result of so many deaths recorded on the highway.
“As a community,
we are not aware of any of the 23 conditions that have been met by the
government of Cross River State. Not even the condition that directs them to
consult with the communities involved and pay compensation before embarking on
the project”.
In a statement signed by the Village heads of Ikot Ndarake, Chief Bassey Okon,
Ikot Abasi Effiom; Chief Silver Effiom Duke and Ikot Okpo Ene; Chief Emmanuel
Okon, said since the ground breaking of the project in 2015 by president
Muhammadu Buhari, the government mobilized machines to the communities and
began clearing of farms, and economic trees which are the major income base of
the people.
“This exercise was
done on the 6th January, 2016 without consultation with the community Chiefs or
owners of the farms. No inventory was taken by Government of the number of
plants and crops destroyed, rather individuals took up the task
of carrying out inventory which cost them so much money to hire
Estate Valuers thus adding more burden to the community members”.
They argued, “With
the clearing of the standing trees around our houses the roofs of houses have
been pulled down by wind storm. There are no trees any longer in our
communities to serve as windbreakers and erosion sites are beginning to emerge
around the communities. The sources of livelihood of our people especially
women have been destroyed, people including women and children now resort to
begging for survival. There are recorded higher incidents of youth’s
restiveness and crime due to idleness and lack of reasonable sources of
income”.
The people in the communities
said that they have suffered severe infringement on their right to living
through the destruction of sources of their livelihood; hence, the government
should be compelled to pay compensation to communities and individuals affected
by the bulldozing already carried out.
The government
should embark on massive regeneration of the cleared land; reconstruct houses
destroyed by wind storm as a result of the cutting down of the trees that
hitherto protected the houses from windstorm.
According to them,
the government of Cross River State should liaise with NDDC and other relevant
Federal government agencies or international partners to provide support for
their agricultural ventures and introduce less expensive agricultural
processing methods like the renewable energy agricultural processing equipment.
But in a reaction,
the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and Senior Special Assistant Media;
Mr. Christian Ita said enumeration for payment has been done.
“First all the
companies that did the de-bushing carried out preliminary site evaluation and
the records are available. Ministry of Lands with the statutory function also
carried out evaluation. What is left is for the ministry of Lands to reconcile
with the communities so as to effect compensation”, he stated.
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