From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The Cross River State government has refuted allegations of Chinese nationals invading the Effi Community forest in Ikom, Central Cross River.
Dr George O’ben-Etchi, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Cross River State Forestry Commission, made this statement following a fact-finding visit to the community. The visit aimed to verify the veracity of petitions alleging the invasion of the forest.
“I got a petition from a Cross Riverian Prince Odey Oyama, an indigene of Effi community, village, alleging that Chinese nationals built a factory in Effi forest,” O’ben-Etchi stated. “The petitioner alleged that the Chinese men were doing a lot of destruction to the forest and cutting small trees, not allowing them to grow.”
In response to the petition, O’ben-Etchi and his team visited the community and met with the chiefs, who were also implicated in the allegations. They were then taken to the Carvent plant, which was previously operational in the area.
“We were brought to this premises Carvent plant that used to operate in those days, only to discover that the factory was not in the forest as alleged by the petitioner, rather the factory is located right in the heart of Effi community in Okuni village,” O’ben-Etchi explained.
He emphasized that the Chinese nationals were not involved in logging activities and were not located in the forest. “My team and I came here with the hope of seeing a Chinese factory in the forest, unfortunately, we saw nothing like a wood factory in the forest,” he said.
The team observed a small factory within the community, which was not yet registered with the Forestry Commission. The factory owners had submitted a request for a license to operate at full capacity.
“The wood you see here, are pieces of wood that are brought by farmers while trying to clear their farms. I really don’t think that it is wise to discourage investors who are coming to impact the lives of our people,” O’ben-Etchi stressed.
The Youth President of Effi community, Comrade Otegha Edim, also refuted Oyama’s allegations, stating that the Chinese nationals only visited their land for business purposes.
Prince Oyama has yet to respond to the Cross River State government’s position on the issue.