The Paramount Ruler of Etung LGA of Cross River State, HRH Ntufam Oru Ojong, has charged State Governor, Bassey Otu, to be cautious of his new policy so as to avert outbreak of crises in the Cocoa producing communities of Etung LGA.
The monarch gave the charge on Wednesday at his Ikom residence while reacting to calls by the state government that contractors already allocated Cocoa plots at Government Cocoa Estate by the immediate-past administration of Governor Ben Ayade should vacate thier farms by the end of the year and demand for refund of their money from Ayade’s former Special Adviser on Cocoa Development Control, Ntufam Dr Oscar Ofuka.
The royal father urged the state government to withdraw the directive which it issued, asking stakeholders in the cocoa value chain to demand for refunds of contract money which the contractors had paid to the account of the state government under the previous administration.
The monarch called on the Governor Otu administration to shelve its plan of compelling the ex-Special Adviser to Ayade to refund money paid to the state government by cocoa farmers currently occupying governent cocoa farms.
The royal father urged the state governor to heed his advice so that crises would not brew up in the Cocoa estate in Etung LGA, where most farms are owned by contractors known to be restive youths.
Recall that the Secretary to State Governent (SSG), Prof. Anthony Owan Enoh, had a month ago issued a statement asking cocoa contractors who paid money to have access plots of cocoa at the state government cocoa estate located in Etung LGA of the state.
“Asking Ofuka to refund money that was paid to Government coffers with a TIN number from the state Internal Revenue Service IRS would be a great injustice,” the monarch said, stressing that there was no way one can ask cocoa contractors to vacate their farms after contract fee had been paid.
“I said this to avert crises outbreak in the area after December this year. Government is a continum.
“We liked the formular introduced by state government in payment of royalties paid to Etung Cocoa landlord communities,” the monarch maintained.
The paramount ruler urged Governor Otu administration to open its eyes wide and remember that whatever the previous administration did regarding leasing of government cocoa estate was based on implementation of a court order.
The monarch urged state government to fashion out a modality on how to allocate the remaining 3,600 hectares of cocoa plots which were yet to be allocated rather than capitalise on revoking allocation that generated money through royalties from cocoa landlord communities.
Earlier, Secretary General, Etung Cocoa Landlord Communities Committee, Ntufam Benjamin Ndep, who also reacted to the issue, stated that asking Ofuka for a refund amounts to injustice because whatever Ofuka did regarding cocoa allocation was done as an agent of the state government.
“This is because money was not paid into Ofuka’s account but account of state government. It was clear that landlord communities went to court and judgement was given in two occasions.
“What Ofuka did was to carry out court order to ensure that royalties of landlords communities are paid,” he stated.
Also,speaking, a youth leader in Bendeghe Ekiem, Mr. Mark Ayuk Emom, expressed dismay over the way and manner in which the pre-cocoa allocation committee set up by state government has carried out thier task, accusing some committee members of going outside the term of reference given to them by the state government.
“The committee is supposed to terminate its task once it’s July 30. Unfortunately, this is August 5, some committee members are still going about harassing farmers,” the youth leader lamented.
