C'River Cocoa Estate: Oscar Ofuka's Claims Aberrant, Unconstitutional - Etung Assembly Rep

By Ebi COLLINS

The Member representing Etung State Constituency in the Cross River State House of
Assembly, Hon. Kingsley Isong has vehemently dismissed Oscar Ofuka's claims of
having a consent judgment to re-allocate plots from the State-owned Cocoa Estate to
applicants beyond the lifespan of the administration which appointed him Special
Adviser on Cocoa Regeneration and Control aberrant and unconstitutional.

Hon. Isong, who made the statement, recently, during an exclusive interview with The
Beagle News in reaction to Ofuka's (an appointee in the immediate past
administration of Governor Ben Ayade) incessant claims, inferred that such
contradiction suggests an absolute barrenness of the law with regards to tenure of
office and appointments.

"In line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, we all
know that leadership and appointments are tenured accordingly. No elected official
has the jurisdiction to act or speak on behalf of an incoming administration, not to talk
of an ordinary appointee. I do not know where he is going to get substance to support
his claims of having the right to act beyond the lifespan of an administration that had
long elapsed. I think Oscar Ofuka wants to go to jail. He lacks the locus standi to do
what he claims," the lawmaker remarked.

Describing the consent judgment paraded by the embattled former appointee as a
bundle of complex documents, the Ajassor-born legislator pointed out that the law
cannot be bent over, assuring that justice will prevail over Ofuka's illegality
irrespective of any complexities.

"Ofuka's appointment ended on May 29, 2023. He has no power to function beyond
that period. If there is anything left to do, it behooves on the new committee
constituted by the Governor Bassey Otu-led administration to handle; not an outgone
appointee (Ofuka).

When quizzed whether or not there were skirmishes between the Prince Cosmas Ebori
Nku-led Cocoa Allocation and Regeneration Committee and landlord communities
over payment of royalties, Hon. Isong said it was premature to begin to talk about
royalties as the committee is preoccupied with the Cocoa Allocation process.

He said the only clamour from landlord communities now is for the government to
adhere to the allocation formula of 70 percent for host communities and 30 percent for
non-hosts applicants, adding that "we should allow the Committee some time to get
done with the allocation."

The parliamentarian appealed to the government to look beyond just payment of
royalties to cocoa landlord communities and begin to also redirect monies recouped
from the allocation of the Cocoa Estate into the development of Etung Local
Government Area.

He boasted that practically Cross River State is the highest cocoa producing state in
Nigeria, but however, lamented that Etung LGA which makes the State thick in cocoa
production has remained grossly underdeveloped, while advocating for and equitable
distribution of wealth generated from Etung to the improvement of the chiefly
agrarian LGA (Etung) in the area of infrastructure, education, healthcare, etc.

He also sought advocacy for cocoa purchasing companies to carry out effective
corporate social responsibility, where communities in their catchment areas benefit
from scholarships, vocational trainings, human capacity building, infrastructure
development, among others.