By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The Special Adviser, SA, on Cocoa Development and Control, to the governor of Cross River State, Ntufam Dr Oscar Ofuka, has insisted that state government is ready to implement the court order, which directed that backlogs of arrears of rent/ royalties, owed the state cocoa landlord communities by the state government be paid.
Ofuka made the promise during his appearance before the six-man Special Committee of the Cross River House of Assembly, headed by the member representing Boki state constituency, Rt. Hon. Hillary Bissong, to deliberate on matter of urgent public interest with regards to the management of state cocoa estate.
Governor Ben Ayade’s SA insisted that the state government is committed to clear all backlogs of all arrears of rent/royalties owed the cocoa landlords communities of Etung Local Government Area if the state by the state government for over a decade.
He said, “We are going on with payment of royalties as directed by the court for peace to reign.
Cocoa landlords communities of Etung had through their illustrious son, Hon. Chris Njah Mbu-Ogar, raised the alarm, asking the state government to halt ongoing allocation of cocoa estate plots, which is purported to span up to 2029, which state government claimed would permanently settle all arrears of rent/royalties.
A development that led to invitation of the SA to Governor Ayade on Cocoa Development and Control, Ofuka, to appear before the special committee of the state House of Assembly on November 9, 2022 to give explanation on the issue.
Upon appearance before the House committee, the SA insisted that the state government will go ahead with implementation of the court order, which has brought a systematic mechanism to finally put to rest the old and future rents/royalties to permanently end litigations in respect of the estate.
The SA explained that the present re-organisation follows combined effort of two valid and subsisting court judgments in suit No. HE/16/2013 and HM/73/2020.
He averred that the reorganization is consistent with deliberate effort of the Ayade administration in establishing a mechanism to get all lingering issues on allocation of government cocoa estate resolved.
The SA maintained that the state government has come up with a platform called SMARTGOV to settle all backlogs of arrears of rent/royalties, settle all new rents/royalties, at the agreed new rates and promptly settle all future rents/royalties, rehabilitate the estate, and permanently put an end to litigations in respect of the cocoa estate.
He said, “The current six-yea lease together with modalities for settlement of Cross River State government’s liabilities to landlords communities, are strictly in line with the subsumed and combined effect of two valid and subsisting consent judgements of suit No: HM/16/2013, delivered on March 5,2019; and suit No:HM/73/2020, delivered on July 5, 2022.”
In an interview with journalists shortly after the session, Ofuka denied allegations levelled against him by those he described as purported cocoa landlords communities committee, led by it’s secretary, Mr. Horrid Bassey Isong, acting paramount ruler of Etung, Ntufam Raphael Agbor, Clan Head of Ekuk Attai, Michael Assam, and Etung Local Government chairman, Etuk John Nkom, Ofuka stated that the group who are in the state House were not the individuals who dragged the state government to court some years ago.
Ofuka stated, “I don’t know this committee, this is not the committee that took government to court some years ago before the court ordered the state government to begin payment of royalties owed the landlords communities.”
Ofuka stated that the real landlords committee members that dragged the state government to court had been toppled by the new set of landlords committee as interlopers, who were desperate to rubbish the good intentions of the state government.
In his remarks, the chairman of Etung Local Government, Hon. John Nkom, said that the landlord communities were angry that royalties owed the landlords communities were yet to be paid by the state government.
He said, “As speak with you, our people have no issue against the state government, except the royalties which is yet to be paid.”
