Hundreds of smallholder farmers in Etomi community of Etung local government area of Cross River State trooped to the streets on Wednesday to protest the plan by the state government to privatise cocoa estate located in the community.
The protesters, including youths, aged men and women involved in the cocoa value chain rejected the reported government plan to give the estate to private firm to operate.
Protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Our cocoa estate is not for sale” and “We won’t accept privatization of our estate”.
A community leader, Mr. Mbek Agbor-Tangban, cautioned the state government against deviating from the agreement entered into with their grandparents, who donated the large hectares of land for the cocoa estate.
Agbor-Tangban stated that the government ought to have consulted community leaders before announcing plans to privatise the estate, citing a provision of the agreement that the landlords should be consulted and given priority in any privatisation or subletting.
Also expressing her anger on behalf of the community women, the women leader, Ntunkai Mary-Ndum demanded that government should uproot its cocoa stems and return bare land to the community, if no longer interested in the smallholder farmers’ scheme.
The youth leader in the community, Mr. Abang Shikina-Oji called on the state government to reconsider its decision, stressing that the move would put the host community at a disadvantage and likely throw many youths out of jobs, a development he said might lure the youths into criminality.
In their separate reaction, Cross River State Commissioners for Agriculture and Information, Mr. Johnson Ebokpo and Dr. Erasmus Ekpang, appealed for calm, stating that Governor Bassey Otu would review the matter and address the concerns of the people.
They assured that the Governor’s primary concern is the people’s interest and would not do anything to undermine it.
