The Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Eteng Williams, has today, declared that the state will seize lands belonging to warring communities for the purpose of planting cocoa.
He said this move will be employed to prevent further incidences of conflict and land disputes in the state.
Williams said this at the Nigerian Union of Journalists Secretariat in Calabar, the state capital, during an award presentation event of the Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Cocoa Development, Dr Oscar Ofuka.
According to the Speaker, “Any community where there is dispute, the land will be confiscated and cocoa will be planted there.”
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Ofuka was awarded Most Valuable Icon of Socio-Economic Transformation.
Ofuka thanked the organization “for deeming it fit to honour me this day. Cocoa is a very important cash crop in Nigeria and Cross River is cocoa hub in Nigeria. We intend to take over from Cote d’Ivoire. We are expanding and planting cocoa everywhere in Cross River.”
He also dedicated the award to Governor Ayade.
By Daniel Ojukwu
