‘Stop Planned Privatisation Of Cocoa Estate’

Youth leader of Agborkim Waterfall community in Etung local government area of Cross River State, Comrade Enoh  Theophilus Ekuri, has called on Governor Bassey Otu to scrap the planned privatisation of the cocoa estate, citing concerns about the community’s livelihood and potential rise in anti-social vices.

He made the call during an interactive session with journalists at the Agborkim Waterfall community on Sunday.

Ekuri urged the governor to perish the thought and consider it dead on arrival, stressing that it was easier for the state government to privatise the governor’s office than attempt to touch the cocoa plantation, which is the mainstay of the community’s economy.

The youth leader, who spoke a few minutes before leading over 2000 community youths across Agborkim Carabooth (farm settlement) before thronging to the Agbor Waterfall community to protest the planned privatisation of the government-controlled cocoa estate, rejected the privatisation of the estate.

“We want our state governor, Bassey Otu, to have a rethink.

I know that in government, you have subordinates who flock around you, sometimes even giving you wrong advice.

“Some might even advise you to do a thing which ordinarily you might not want to indulge in, yet your subordinates might persuade you to do a thing which ordinarily you may not have done.

“Since this matter came up, this category of individuals has already become so afraid.

“To our very dear governor, we want to let you know that it is not every advice given to you by your subordinates that you should listen to.

“You promised us sweetness, let the season of sweetness that you promised us not turn to bitterness,” he stated.

Earlier in his address to protesters, opinion leader Mr Danis Owan stated that privatisation of the estate would plunge the community into abject poverty, given that the community’s economy hinges on cocoa production.

“We heard that our own oil well, our own milk industry that we benefit from, is about to be privatised by the state government. Should this estate be privatised, it means we, the youths, will automatically become poor.

“Our forefathers who donated the land to the state government did not do an outright sale of our land.

“We heard the state government has the intention to privatise our estate. If you privatise the estate, you would have exposed our young men and women to various anti-social vices like theft, prostitution, armed robbery, and others.

“We plead that you don’t allow the season of sweetness to turn to bitterness,” he maintained.

Also speaking, a protester, Miss Omom Ekuri-Bassey, urged Governor Otu not to force them to go into hook-ups and prostitution.

“We are angry with the attempt by our dear state government to cease our only source and means of livelihood,” she said.

Those of us who are yet to get married and are involved in cocoa farming cannot quit our farms to join prostitution hook-ups as a result of the frustration that is bound to come with joblessness.