From Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
The supe-highway: ground breaking of the 260 klm dual superhighway at Obung, Cross River by President Muhammadu Buhari took place on Tuesday, 20/10/15.
No fewer than 253, 000 signatories including forest dependent communities in Cross River state and the international community have called on Nigeria’s Federal Government to compel the state government to cancel the revocation of the traditional rights of occupancy of all the 185 communities on the corridor of the proposed super highway and re-routing of the state’s super highway project.
This is contained in a statement made available to some news men in Calabar after the presentation of their position paper and the 250, 000 signatures Thursday to the Minister of Environment, Hajia Amina Mohammed in Abuja.
According to the statement some protesting youths and women from the affected communities led by the Board of Trustee member of NGO Coalition for Environment (NGOSE), Dr Odigha Odigha, has alleged that the state government is not complying with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) law.
The state government had on January 22, 2016 published in the Weekend Chronicle of January 22, 2016, issued a public notice that “all rights of occupancy existing or deemed to exist on all that piece of land or parcel of land lying and situate along the super highway from Esighi, Bakassi Local Government Area to Bekwarra Local Government Area of the Cross River State of Nigeria covering a distance of 260km approximately and having an offset of 200 metres on either side of the centre line of the road and further 10km after the span of the Super Highway, excluding Government Forest Reserves and public institutions are hereby revoked for overriding public purpose absolutely”.
The state government had on January 22, 2016 published in the Weekend Chronicle of January 22, 2016, issued a public notice that “all rights of occupancy existing or deemed to exist on all that piece of land or parcel of land lying and situate along the super highway from Esighi, Bakassi Local Government Area to Bekwarra Local Government Area of the Cross River State of Nigeria covering a distance of 260km approximately and having an offset of 200 metres on either side of the centre line of the road and further 10km after the span of the Super Highway, excluding Government Forest Reserves and public institutions are hereby revoked for overriding public purpose absolutely”.
Odigha on behalf of the national and international communities, presented the more than 5,000-page documents in eight volumes to the Minister who was represented by the Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Jibril.
The environmentalist told the Minister that the “super highway as intended by the Cross River state is not in harmony your stance for sustainable development and the fight against the climate change crisis as reflected in your various international engagements”, pointing out that “forest clearing and bulldozing (has) continued in total disregard for all relevant national laws and international treaties which have been domesticated by Nigeria”.
He called for “a de-revocation of the traditional rights of occupancy of all the 185 communities on the corridor of the proposed super highway, pay compensation to all whose crops, forest and property have been destroyed by the proposed bulldozing for the super highway (and) to carry out the ecological restoration of sites that have been mindlessly degraded because of the super highway”.
In his response, the Minister of State said the federal government was not against development by the federal and state governments.
He said: “we commend your effort in pursuing your right in a more peaceful and orderly way. We are particularly happy with your orderly way of going about doing things that are dear to you. We share your concerns and feelings but we want you to also understand that both the federal and state government have a duty to ensure orderly development in this country.
“We are for development and we are not I anyway against any state government that will do anything for the good of the people. We have a duty to ensure that the right thing is done at the right time.
“We have received your complain and we will go through it and we will forward it to the president and I am sure the most appropriate thing will be done”.
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