Efio-Ita Nyok|1 December 2015|10:15pm
OUR LAW MAKER SHOULD NOT BE A LAW BREAKER : A NOTE OF WARNING TO THE SENATOR
REPRESENTING THE CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT
By Joseph Odok
(Being a Facebook post of 15 June 2015 by 5:33pm)
'It is no longer news that the reserved forest of CRS have been greatly harvested and depleted by top politicians. This was made possible by the Liyel Imoke led PDP style of double standard. While the
common man was precluded from logging, top PDP stalwarts wantonly devoured the forest under the tacit protection of the government of the day.
Some have argued that royalties were even given to the government of Liyel Imoke by these politicians that destroyed our forest reserves. The case of Etara/Ekuri land in Etung local government is a perfect
example.
Owan Enoh approached the people of Etara to get a lease of their reserved forest with a promise to
develop the people and tar their roads. Unsuspectingly, the people gave him their land. Being surreptitious in character, he went behind to induce some prominent politicians and financiers to sign a
contract of sale. Those who signed the contract of sale include Hon Oku-okang, Chief David Ifere and
Esther Oyama. This trio signed the contract of sale documents ignorantly without knowing the
implications for their actions to their generations yet unborn. It is possible that the signing of the contract of sale may also be for greedy motives.
Being an opportunist Owan Enoh began massive plundering of the said land while neglecting his
promises to the people of Etara/Ekuri: this action is true to his nature not having any visible project as a compensation for the mandate of the people besides giving money to those that facilitates his greed.
Taking advantage of the ignorance of the remote people, he had began a big cocoa plantation while
destroying the forest and tapping all minerals resources in the forest. The said land covers an area of more than 10,000 hectares. It is worthy of note that the said land is a reserved
land and no private individual has a right to plunder a reserved land under the Cross River State Forestry
laws.
As it is the case, legitimate land owners have over time been precluded from falling trees for
timber, yet a Senator of the Central Senatorial District has been made to eat fat from timber and is protected by a cabal of those interested in the total elimination of the poor for the extension of their
greed.
One of the many policies of our governor that has caught the attention of many in recent past is the keen attention to end the destruction of our forest by some politicians. The Liyel Imoke era is come and gone with its antics that impoverished the state. I therefore call on the governor, Prof Ben Ayade to stop this act of cowardice that dominated the Liyel Imoke led PDP and show political will in dealing with all Cross Riverians equally.
If the right of devouring forest is to be granted to one, it should be extended to all, our parents must no
longer starve in obedience of state laws only to be robbed by powerful politicians.
The actions of our dear governor on this matter will form my opinion of the style of his leadership. If he can show Cross River and that all are equal before the law, he will define himself as a true friend of the oppressed people of Etara/Ekuri and and Cross River State. All forms of opportunism and selective justice should be discouraged with equity being the footstep of our dynamic governor.'
The reader should understand that the trending phenomenon in Cross River State under the Ben Ayade administration is the campaign of clamping down on unrepentant critics of the government.
On 30 November 2015, Barr. Joseph Odok honoured an invitation by the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 6 Command to respond to allegations of 'threat to life' and 'defamation of character' brought to its notice by Owan Enoh, Senator representing CRS Central Senatorial District at the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria accusing one Joseph Odok, a social critic and political analyst.
The above article is the Facebook post made by Odok which incited the spurious allegations made the 'undistinguished' public servant. This platform is poised to keep the reader abreast of the more recent development in this regard.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Writer, Blogger & the Editor of negroidhaven.com
Negroid Haven Blog