By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The outgoing Special Adviser, SA, to the outgoing governor of Cross River State on Cocoa Development and Control, Ntufam Dr Oscar Ofuka, yesterday stated that despite the harsh environment in which management and staff of the state Cocoa Development and Control Agency operated in the last four years, the department has recorded giant strides.
Ofuka stated this while speaking with journalists in Calabar yesterday, where he read some clauses of his handing over notes to the media.
He said that the department generated over N60 milliom into the coffers of the Cross River State government, following the allocation of hectares of cocoa plots to contractors.
He said that out of the amount, Etung Cocoa landlords communities have the share of what governent had owed them as royalties for the land that it occupied, stressing that through the Smartgov arrangement, the landlord communities have realized about N35 millon naira as part of their royalties as at May 24, 2023
Under the Smartgov platform, which has to do with the execution of a consent court judgement, all the money paid into the governent account for cocoa allocation automatically splits into three parts, with 49.5 per cent hitting the account of Etung Cocoa landlord communities, and 40 per cent entering the account of Cross River State Internal Revenue Service IRS while 10 percent goes into the account of Department of Cocoa Development and Control.
He said that even though what is being realized by the state government and the landlords communities at a moment, the money would help in defraying the debt owed the landlord communities right from the administration of former Governor Liyel Imoke up to the Ben Ayade administration.
Giving a summary of allocation, under the new six-year lease of 2024 to 2029, Ofuka stated that the total hectares available stood at 4,637 with about 1,208 hectares allocated to contractors, adding that 3,429 were yet to be allocated
He said, “The propaganda sponsored against me in several quarters by my Etung big brothers and uncles from Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State alleging that I collected royalties meant for cocoa landlord communities and diverted the cash into my private pocket is based on falsehood.
“I am one of the happiest man in Cross River State for the truth to have come out.
“I was maligned, chastised, arrested, manhandled like a common criminal and whisked to Alagbon Close in Lagos State and locked up in an underground cell by a retired AIG from my local government area, claiming that I had diverted the royalty money.
“Today the community have gotten their royalty money. All were lies, they framed me up properly because I was hardworking.”
Ofuka further stated that payment of royalties to cocoa landlord communities was achieved through the a payment mechanism called Smartgov platform.
He added, “Under the Smartgov, once a contractor pays his money for a plot of cocoa hectares, 49.5 per cent of the cash goes straight into the bank account of cocoa landlord communities.”
On why he became so eager to implement the consent judgement issued by the court, Ofuka stated that the initiative was to enable him secure prompt payment of the rent and royalties owed the cocoa landlord communities, right from the Imoke administration till date, stressing that it’s the only strategy that could relief the state government of the debt burden, which has been hanging like a yoke on its neck, so that peace can return between governent and landlords communities.
The outgoing SA enumerated his giant strides to include: the verification and image capturing exercise to ascertain allottees in the farm under the small holders scheme to check ghost farmers; recovery of unpaid lease from farmers; adoption of small holders scheme and rehabilitation of four estates.
He stressed that under the Ayade cocoa legacy, the department established the Akin/Osomba Cocoa Estate in Akamkpa Local Government Area, raised 10 millon cocoa seedlings and planted the seedlings at the Ayade Legacy Cocoa Estate at Akin Osomba.
On access road to the farm lands, Ofuka stressed that the Department of Cocoa Development and Control acquired 7,000 hectares of agro-forest land at Etara and Ekuri in Etung Local Government Area to expand cocoa programme under the CBN cocoa initiative.
The outgoing SA also stressed that under the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, cocoa initiative, the Cocoa and Control Department acquired 10,000 thousand hectares of agro forest land at Ndeghe community, with an access road created to the community and to the farmland.
He added, “We graded access roads in the four government-owned cocoa plantations following the deplorable access roads in the estates.”
Ofuka maintained that the department, under his watch, established a demonstration farm at the Cross River State Broadcasting Corporation, CRBC, Calabar, where seedlings can be raised.
The former SA to Ayade maintained that the department also created a data base for allocation, where the data was used for debt recovery in the lease allocation of 2016/2019.
He stressed that recovery of 32 hectares of Cross River State cocoa farm land at Abonita cocoa estate in Etung Local Government Area of the state illegally ceded to private individuals in Ajassor community via consent judgement of court.
