Gov. Ben Ayade
From Diana Okon-Effiong, Ekuri (Akamkpa)
The Ekuri communities of Cross River have protested against the state government’s revocation of their communal land rights to construct a $3.5 billion super highway.
In a joint peaceful protest Tuesday residents of the communities in Akamkpa and Obubra local government areas said the construction of the highway would “obliterate 33,600 hectares of Ekuri forests”.
They also stated that the revocation of the right of occupancy of their ancestral land for 10 kilometre either side of the 6-lane 260 kilometre highway would destroy the livelihood of the forest dependent communities.
They carried placards, banners and fresh palm fronts in the protest in which no fewer than 500 people from Ekuri communities in Old Ekuri in Akamkpa.
The protesters included men, women, boys and girls yesterday took to the dusty streets chanting: “we no go gree, we no go gree”.
Some of the placards read: “Even chimpanzees cry out, Ayade don’t take our forest; our forest is our Garden of Eden, Governor Ayade don’t destroy it”.
The placards also read: “Governor Ayade superhighway is a land grab in disguise; We are the indigenous people of Ekuri and we say no; the revocation of our forest is an abuse of social and economic right.”
They marched through the village to the village square where they were addressed by their leaders.
The Village Heads of Old and New Ekuri, Chief Stephen Oji and Chief Abel Egbe, who separately addressed the protesters said the construction of the super highway is a welcome development.
They, however, said that they do not desire the highway if the project would bring destruction to the people and their environment.
They also said that their people needed roads that would help them to evacuate their farm products.
According them, Ekuri communities require schools, water, electricity and not the kind of road that will come and take our forest away.
They said the superhighway would traverse the heart of the Ekuri rainforest opening it up to farming logging and hunting on a massive scale.
The Ekuri Initiative in its reaction signed by its. Chairman, Martins Egot stated: “the governor has also revoked all rights of occupancy on ancestral land of thousands more forest dependent villagers for 10 kilometres either side of the six lane 260 kilometre super highway’’.
The Non-governmental organisation stated that the revocation was not acceptable.
“This super highway will obliterate the entire 33, 600 hectares Ekuri forests, destroying the way of life of these forest communities forever and leaving them homeless,” it stated
However, Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River had on several occasion assured impacted communities that the road project will bring so much economic benefits to them and the state and the entire country.
He said the revocation of land on both sides of the superhighway was for overriding public interest adding the EIA had been done on the project.
Our correspondent reports that the state government has since gazetted the revocation.
