By Nsan Ndoma-Neji Calabar
Allegation making the rounds in the media in the state that former Special Adviser, SA, on Cocoa Development and Control to former governor of Cross River State, Dr. Oscar Ofuka, hasn’t paid royalties owed the Etung Cocoa Landlord Communities is a lie from the pit of hell.
The Chairman of cocoa landlord communities in the area, retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Njar Ngor, stated this while debunking the allegation, insisting that the media report by one of the local tabloids is false.
Speaking with CompassNG correspondent in Cross River State on the issue on Wenesday evening in a telephone conversation, the landlord communities committee chairman stressed that for any one to say that the immediate past administration paid no kobo is not true.
AIG Ngor said, “The media report is not true; we have been paid some money. The truth is that the state government owed us some monies and has paid us part of the money. Out of the monies government
owed us, about N30 million plus, we have been paid N12.5 million as landlords
“That is the old debt owed the landlords, the actual money that is remaining is about N115 million, which is yet to come; however, we have about N24 million in our account.
“The money would have been paid to the communities long ago. The delay was occasioned by the fact that we want to do the calculations to enable us distribute the money, so as not to skip any benefiary.
“We want to know about the cocoa, in terms of how they yield, identify areas that is called category A, category B and category C. We have to know where the locations are, which community they belong to, and thereafter calculate the money and commence payment. Otherwise we would have paid all.”
The committee chairman averred that once the committee gets the table that bears a formula which will be used for sharing the money from former Special Adviser on Cocoa Development and Control, it would be easy to do the payment to the benefitting communities so as not to leave anyone out.
The retired AIG stated that raising such false alarm is not strange to him, adding that even he had some times ago, suffered in the hands of critics who raised a false alarm against him and the committee, alleging that money meant for payment of royalties had been diverted into their private pockets, just because the money delayed in entering the committee’s coffers.
He added, “They accused the former SA, and the paramount ruler, to the extent that the paramount ruler was dethroned from office.
“I told them that nobody can divert money when I am here. I am a retired AIG. I’m not only a devoted Christian, but a pastor who preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The cocoa landlords chairman reiterated that “apart from Ajassor, Agbokim and Efraya, who were yet to get their money, five out of the eight cocoa landlord communities had gotten their money.”
Reacting to the allegation, former Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Oliver Orok, stated that the money had been paid to the landlord communities.
Orok said, “In terms of the communities, royalties had been paid, the Special Adviser on Cocoa Development and Control acted according to court instructions, which directed that payment be made through the Smartgov platform.
“He showed me court papers, just as I assumed office as commissioner, and I worked with him, under that arrangement as agreed by the landlord, communities and I went with him to Ikom Local Government Area to ensure that I addressed the matter.
“The landlord communities chairman spoke elaborately on the matter, saying that he has begun receiving the alerts.
In his own reaction to the allegation, the former SA on Cocoa Development and Control, Ntufam Dr. Ofuka, expressed shock and denied any wrong doings, claiming that the accusations were masterminded by individuals who had personal issues against him rather than the administration.
Ofuka said, “I’m shocked with what I just read on the pages of a local newspaper that I had continued to allocate cocoa plots of cocoa to people after expiration of my tenure. This is completely false!
“The allocation that we did ended when the administration of Prof. Ben Ayade came to an end. Since then, nobody had allocated any cocoa plot.
“In fact, we allocated about one thousand and some hectares, with about three thousand hectares left for the present government to make allocation. The problem associated with landlord communities had been laid to rest when we responded to orders of the court using Smartgov platform to enable landlord communities get their royalties that were being owed.
