The protesters.
By Anietie Akpan
Plans by the Cross River State Government to privatize its 68 year old Cocoa estate has pitched Etomi community in Etung Local Government Area (LGA) against the government.
Consequently the community has rejected the plan saying, “our cocoa estate is not for sale”.
The Government had recently through the State Council on Privatization called for tenders of some cocoa estates including Etomi in some dailies sparking off protests on Tuesday.
Armed with placards, hundreds of smallholder’s farmers and youths in Etomi community stormed the streets demanding for an urgent policy reversal on the proposed privatization of Etomi cocoa estate noting that they have the right of first refusal if at all the state government wants to privatize the estate.
Placards with different slogans like, “Our cocoa estate is not for sale, we say no to planned privatization of our cocoa estate, do not deprive us of our rights, our cocoa estate is not for sale, we won’t accept privatization of our estate” were displayed as the peaceful protesters matched through the streets of their community.
The land for the cocoa estate according to the Etomi Community Youth Leader, Mr. Abang Shikina- Oji, donated to the Michael Okpara administration of the Eastern Region in 1957 by the community and it had an agreement to accommodate the smallholders’ farmers.
He expressed fears that the privatization may put the host community at disadvantage, hence the government should have a rethink because “we are okay with smallholder’s farmers’ scheme we used to enjoy. If our farms are taken away from us, it means government is going to leave us empty”.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, a Community Leader, Mr. Mbek Agbor -Tangban, advised against any deviation from the content of the agreement which the state government entered with thier grandparents, before they agreed to donate the parcel of land for the cocoa estate.
His words: “Government ought to have consulted us as the landlord community, given the expense of land we donated to him, because whatever that is going to happen with the estate when it full becomes operational,we are the first people to be hit”.
As a community, he said, they became so agitated when they got wind of plans to privatize the estate because “if a government wants to privatize not withstanding the earlier agreement with our grandparents, we should have been the first people government ought to have consulted.
“The agreement is very clear, that if the government wants to privatize or sublet, it ought to consult first with the landlords. We should be the first bidder, in situation where we are unable to bid, it can then advertise as stated in the agreement”.
Women Leader in Etomi Community, Ntunkai Mary- Ndum said if state government was no longer interested in the small holders farmers’ scheme that is cherished by the community residents, government should visit the community and uproot its cocoa.
Responding to the protest,the state government has assured the protesters that the government always has the interest of the people at heart will definitely not do anything that undermines their interest.
While suing for calm, the Commissioners for Agriculture Mr. Johnson Ebokpo and his Information counterpart, Dr. Erasmus Ekpang, gave the assurance that the government will look into the matter and “he will assuage whatever concerns the people have .
“As I speak, he is ready to review anything that causes his people pain. We look deep into it ofcourse, His excellency primary concern is the people’s first”.
