Cross River has no land for ruga cattle colony – PANDEF
By Tony Okechukwu
The Cross River State Chapter of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, in conjunction with the All Cross River State Nationals Front has warned the Federal Government, noting that Cross River State has no land for the proposed RUGA/Cattle Colony being forced on the federating states of Nigeria by the Federal authorities.
They further warned the Federal Government not to even contemplate including the state or any state in the Niger-Delta as a participant in the proposed program. Speaking with journalist on Monday, the secretary of the group, Engr. Bassey Ekefre rejected the proposal, adding that most states in the Niger-Delta region, especially Cross River, was a reserve for many endangered species. His words: “Besides our complete and vehement rejection of the idea and intention of the rogue program, government will require about four fifth of the state to create one such settlement going by the proposed forbidden dimensions of the settlements. “Cross River State is already host to wild life reserves, a federal government/ United Nations program which has prohibited the citizens from accessing large portions of land for agricultural and commercial purposes.
“The struggle for the remaining arable land among our burgeoning population of over six million has often led to communal strife and conflicts during farming seasons. There is therefore no spare hectre of land left to spare for settlers no matter how good intentioned they may be. “It is important for us to remind the Federal Government that the civil war raging on in South West Cameroon has left Cross River with a heavy burden to bear as hundreds of thousands of refugees from the so called Republic of Ambazonia have flooded into Boki, Ikom, Ogoja, Yala, Bekwarra, Obudu and Obanliku local government areas of Cross River State. “It will therefore be mindless and downright insulting for anybody to further contemplate a fresh land – grabbing scheme or ingress of more settlers into our state. We wish to advise the Federal Government to focus more on Northern states which have large expanses of empty land with low population density for the proposed program, while embracing modern technology in irrigation to solve the challenge of desertification.” They called on Gov Ben Ayade to speak up for the state as well as other governors in the region for the sake of peace, adding that the federal government should consult with Isreal and Libya for assistance. He said:
“The Federal Government may wish to consult the states of Israel and Libya for assistance in that regard, to avoid the inter – tribal conflicts that this program would inevitably ignite. “We also call on the state Governor, Senator (Prof) Ben Ayade to speak and stand up for the peoples of Cross River State, by telling the Federal Government clearly and timely that Cross River totally rejects the very idea of RUGA settlements and will offer no land or cooperation for that purpose. “This is neither politics nor diplomacy. This is a matter of life and death, and the State Governor must rise up and speak for the peoples of Cross River State. The State Governor must mobilize every constitutional arsenal at his disposal to ensure the full protection of the ancestral lands, forests, waterways and heritage of peoples of Cross River State now,” he stated.
The Cross River State Chapter of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, in conjunction with the All Cross River State Nationals Front has warned the Federal Government, noting that Cross River State has no land for the proposed RUGA/Cattle Colony being forced on the federating states of Nigeria by the Federal authorities.
They further warned the Federal Government not to even contemplate including the state or any state in the Niger-Delta as a participant in the proposed program. Speaking with journalist on Monday, the secretary of the group, Engr. Bassey Ekefre rejected the proposal, adding that most states in the Niger-Delta region, especially Cross River, was a reserve for many endangered species. His words: “Besides our complete and vehement rejection of the idea and intention of the rogue program, government will require about four fifth of the state to create one such settlement going by the proposed forbidden dimensions of the settlements. “Cross River State is already host to wild life reserves, a federal government/ United Nations program which has prohibited the citizens from accessing large portions of land for agricultural and commercial purposes.
“The struggle for the remaining arable land among our burgeoning population of over six million has often led to communal strife and conflicts during farming seasons. There is therefore no spare hectre of land left to spare for settlers no matter how good intentioned they may be. “It is important for us to remind the Federal Government that the civil war raging on in South West Cameroon has left Cross River with a heavy burden to bear as hundreds of thousands of refugees from the so called Republic of Ambazonia have flooded into Boki, Ikom, Ogoja, Yala, Bekwarra, Obudu and Obanliku local government areas of Cross River State. “It will therefore be mindless and downright insulting for anybody to further contemplate a fresh land – grabbing scheme or ingress of more settlers into our state. We wish to advise the Federal Government to focus more on Northern states which have large expanses of empty land with low population density for the proposed program, while embracing modern technology in irrigation to solve the challenge of desertification.” They called on Gov Ben Ayade to speak up for the state as well as other governors in the region for the sake of peace, adding that the federal government should consult with Isreal and Libya for assistance. He said:
“The Federal Government may wish to consult the states of Israel and Libya for assistance in that regard, to avoid the inter – tribal conflicts that this program would inevitably ignite. “We also call on the state Governor, Senator (Prof) Ben Ayade to speak and stand up for the peoples of Cross River State, by telling the Federal Government clearly and timely that Cross River totally rejects the very idea of RUGA settlements and will offer no land or cooperation for that purpose. “This is neither politics nor diplomacy. This is a matter of life and death, and the State Governor must rise up and speak for the peoples of Cross River State. The State Governor must mobilize every constitutional arsenal at his disposal to ensure the full protection of the ancestral lands, forests, waterways and heritage of peoples of Cross River State now,” he stated.
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