Open Letter To Mr Odey Oyama – Cease Misinformation, Bare-Faced Lies Against Chiefs Of Your Community From Ben Ayang
Dear Mr. Odey Oyama,
I write this letter as a concerned individual and influencer, who happens to know you for quite some time. It pains me to witness the lies and misinformation you have propagated across various publications and online platforms. Your intentions seem wicked, aimed at attracting attention, tarnishing the character of the revered Chiefs of Effi community in Okuni Village, Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State, and possibly seeking international donor agency funds under the guise of advocating for forest protection.
I conducted my own investigations, speaking to anonymous sources, and found out that Effi community through their Chiefs and elders leased their community land, located about a quarter of a kilometer off the Calabar-Ikom highway to a Chinese firm to build a plywood processing factory.
This lease is the only transaction that the Effi community has entered into with the Chinese firm. How does this translate to depleting the forest and ancestral resources, even as you play down on the site lease? Oga, count your teeth with your tongue!
Secondly, in all our native communities, the Chiefs are the custodians of our lands and if the Chiefs decide to retain the services of a legal attorney, whether of your native origin or not, based on the principles of confidentiality, should he go cap-in-hand singing his brief to a third party however beneficiary they may be?
The legal attorney has done no wrong in this regard. What is this cry of transparency and accountability? Whose duty is this at this stage?
Your misrepresentation of facts has deeply concerned me, because your claims that the Chiefs are selling Effi community forest to the Chinese for logging activities are blatant lies. This calculated deceit aims to incite the gullible public against a development-oriented project that would employ over 200 youths from within and outside the community. Whereas it is on record that you are passionately interested in using the same portion of land to establish a timber market for yourself.
The question now is, should a man who calls himself an environmental protection advocate be involved in deforestation business?
Please give me the contacts of the Chinese, we have enough land for them in Obubra for next-to-nothing, provided there is employment for my people.
Meanwhile, the Cross River State government has laid down guidelines and procedures for forest-related businesses, there is no way Effi community can dabble into forest transactions as you claimed without incurring the wrath of the Cross River State Forestry Commission, or the belligerence of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, for accommodating illegal immigrants.
It’s evident that the whole issues you have raised are so trivial and leave no reasonable person in doubt that you have personal scores with the lawyer. Therefore, we urge you to leave the peace-loving people of Effi and the general public out of your vendetta.
As an acquaintance of yours from Obubra, I once considered you my Obubra brother, because of your name. However, I discovered your true origins during our time in the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, when you controversially peddled unfounded petitions against the then Chairman, Hon. Cletus Obun.
Odey, you must be called to order by relevant security agencies, or your false alarm against Chinese nationals could lead to a diplomatic crisis between Nigeria and China, apart from disorganizing your community.
My 10 kobo advice!
Yours sincerely
Reuben Ayang
banntvng@gmail.com
