Cross River Moves To End All Crisis in Cocoa Sector

 

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By Bassey Aniekan, THEWILL

The Cross River State government has finalised moves to end all the crises bedeviling the Cocoa sector in the state.

This follows the reorganisation of the sector in line with two consent judgments, so as to enhance the production of Cocoa beans in the state.

The Special Adviser to the governor on Cocoa Development and Control, Dr. Oscar Ofuka, announced the reorganisation in Calabar.

He said the present reorganisation follows the combined effect of two valid and subsisting court judgments in Suit No. HE/16/2013 and HM/73/2020.

This reorganisation, he said, is consistent with the deliberate effort of the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade, in establishing a mechanism to resolve all lingering disputes.

This mechanism, according to him, will settle all arrears of rents/royalties, settle all new rents/royalties at the agreed new rate, promptly settle all future rents/royalties, rehabilitated the estate, and permanently put an end to litigations in respect of the estate.

“The current six years lease, together with the relevant modalities for settlement of Cross River State governments liabilities to the landlord communities, are strictly in line with the subsumed and combined effect

“The current efforts of the Cross River State government, therefore, is the conscious and deliberate action to conclude the enforcement of the said consent judgments, which had long commenced, and to give effort to them so that justice is not only done but seen to be done.

“The objective of the entire Consent Judgments enforcement exercise is focused at securing, protecting and preserving all the past, present and future government commitment to the Cocoa Landlord Communities of Etung, as officially sealed by the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade”, he said.

He added that as part of the arrangement, a SmartGov platform was created, where rents and royalties are credited directly to the landlord communities to forestall future cases of indebtedness.

Similarly, the over fifteen years outstanding liabilities to the landlord communities as well as the current 6 years lease, will be paid through the same means to enable proper development and rehabilitation of the estate and also in line with the consent judgment.

He also disclosed that the 32 hectares in Abonita Cocoa Estate, which was illegally ceded, have been recovered in line with the consent judgment.

He added that Etung Cocoa Landlord Communities are the beneficiaries of the Cocoa estate under the Ayade administration, except for a few selfish ones.

He assured stakeholders that the present administration in the state is poised to end all the crises in the Cocoa sector.