Joseph Odok|25 March 2016|3:30pm
This write up will rely greatly on a memo signed by Dr John Inyang, the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Cross River State, Nigeria, issued on the 22nd day of January 2016 and published in Cross River State Chronicles. The document is herein attached, see also map of forest and communities that will be razed in pursuit of the Super High Way:
Notice Of Revocation Of Rights of Occupancy For Public Purpose Land Use Act 1978
(1) Notice is hereby given to all rights of occupancy existing or deemed to exist on all that piece or parcel of Land lying and situated along the Super High Way from Esighi, Bakassi LGA to Bekwara LGA of Cross River State of Nigeria covering a distance of 260km approximately and having an offset of two hundred meters (200m) on either side of the centre line of the road and further 10km on both sides of the road after the span of the super high way, excluding Government Forest reserve forest and public institutions are hereby revoked for overriding public purpose absolutely. The description of the land and the said document is attached in this article.
(2) Any person(s) claiming any interest(s) in his/her unexhausted improvement in the said land is/are required within 6(six) weeks from the day of this notice to send to the Director Lands, Lands and Urban Development, Calabar, a statement of such Rights of occupancy
(3) Such statement shall be made by the claimant(s) in person or through their agent duly authorized…
(4) Government is willing to treat for the residue of unexhausted improvements in respect of which no statement is received are liable to be treated as non existent. A notice is hereby given that the government intends to enter and use said Land at expiration of (6) weeks from the date of this notice.
(5) Any person(s) who willfully hinder(s) the Governor of the Cross River State or any Person employed by him from using the said land is/are liable on conviction to a fine of #50,000 only or to imprisonment for 3 (three) months
(6) A plan showing the site is available for inspection during official hours at the office of DIRECTOR OF LANDS, Lands Department, Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, Calabar
Implications of the Ayade's revocation on the Citizenry
If the revocation of Land as described by the commissioner for lands Dr. John Inyang is so effected about 260km multiply by 20km that is, 10km by each side of the road equalling about 5,200km of land will go for the super high way. This could be translated to 25% of Cross River State Land and more than 70% of our forest.
1. A greater percentage of Cross River State people will loose their land without any compensation. It will be recalled that when Donald Duke revoked the Buanchor forest on Wednesday, September 22, 2004, the people were compensated over #46 million besides other social and cooperate social security like job opportunities, health care services, schools etc. The said revocation was for preservation of the Boki Forest and its endangered species by the Ford Foundation. See document attached.
2. Many will loose their farmlands including plantations thereby becoming unemployed
3. We will loose most of our endangered species. It to be recalled that a study by the Ford foundation shows Boki local government as a single local government in the world with the highest number of a special class of endangered guerillas and chimpanzees of the 300 chimpanzees of this class found in the Boki and Cameroon, Boki alone houses more than 70. Boki is the only local government with the highest number of a special bird picatheartes Orias (bare-hearded Rock Fowl. This is what may have attracted Prince Philip the husband of Queen Elizabeth to Boki in 1989 and two times visit by Obasanjo one time as a president and another after leaving office.
4. We will loose the our ecological funds too
5. The existing bilateral agreement and the Land Use Act with provisions for compensation and social security will be jettisoned
6. Besides these since the government seeks to borrow Cross River State will be left in perpetual debt and slavery.
Environmental and social impact assessment of the said land will take not less than 4 years and Ayade's government will successfully have logged all our woods to feed his primitive spirit of wealth acquisition
Say no to this war against the people of Cross River State, its Forest, its farmlands and its animals
Joseph Odok
Social Activist, Social Change Agent &
Concerned Son of Boki
josephodok@yahoo.com
