Illegal Chinese Company Invades Okuni, Ikom Forests, Engage in Massive Wood Logging Processing  …Communities Accuse Gov't of Complicity

By Missang AKPET

The people of Effi community in Okuni village, Ikom local government area of Cross River State have for almost a year been dealing with a self-inflicted environmental issue that pose adverse effects that may trickle down to the generations yet unborn. In 2023, a group of unidentified Chinese nationals ventured into Okuni community in a bid to begin a wood processing venture in the community.

Since their arrival, the community is yet to come to terms with their presence as it has left so many questions bordering on their contractual agreement with the host community, certification to carry out business activities, their immigration status and identity unanswered.

To ascertain the status of this immigrants, a seven member fact-finding committee was set up in July 2024 by the clan head of Effi, His Royal Highness Okim John Osadim, with the sole mandate of investigating and revealing the status of the Chinese. The report of the fact-finding mission as headed by Engineer Ndoma Nyambi made available to our newsroom revealed that the Chinese nationals have no registered company name nor did any document relating to their immigration clearance.

It was further revealed that there was no evidence that any agreement was entered into with the community giving them license to operate. This had sparked fuss among the indigenes as they demand to know the operational status of the Chinese who seem to have been carrying-out their operations anonymously and illegally for months.

Commenting on the Chinese invasion of the community, an environmentalist and executive director of Rainforest Resource and Development Center (RRDC), Mr. Odey Oyama, said the Chinese incursion into Effi Community is a two faced calamity on the people. According to Odey who is also an indigene of Okuni community, they were able to gain entry into the community to do business through the aid of the chiefs and supposed community lawyer not minding the consequences.

 "The entire episode is shrouded in secrecy and opacity, how can we admit faceless people into our community? What is the immigration status of these nameless, unknown, and uncertified Chinese foreign nationals who have been given a safe haven in Effi Community? "What is the official business name of the enterprise being run by these people, as registered in Nigeria by the Corporate Affairs Commission? 

"What we are witnessing today in our community is the cutting down of trees including immature ones by the Chinese and their local co-conspirators in a process which the Chinese are paying their agents and co-conspirators just a pittance for what would have turned out to be the wealth of the kingdom in the generations that will come after us and the negative impacts are already spreading out to other parts of Okuni and beyond," he stated.

On their part, indigenes are demanding for answers and evacuation of the Chinese from their community while already counting loses and effect of their activities. The community youth president, Comrade Obaji Ndoma Ori, who spoke with THE BEAGLE NEWS expressed dissatisfaction with the presence of the Chinese and their modus operandi.

"I am not comfortable with what is going on, this people are using us, they use us to extort ourselves, cause environmental issues for ourselves and rob our generations yet unborn for pittance. "Although, they don't go to the forest to cut the trees by themselves, they pay the indigenes as low as 1500 to 3000 for a tree stump which is way too small for the damage done. Meanwhile, they maltreat our people who work with them as if they are not humans," he said.

 Speaking with some of the indigenes, they lamented about the effects of the deforestation as a result of this unwholesome activities or these people. A female chief, Mma Edineh Ogar Mbeh, Mama Asen Alobi and Eno Alobi, who spoke to THE BEAGLE NEWS in vernacular, revealed that deforestation has taken a serious toll on the community as they no longer have streams to fetch drinking water from as it used to be those days.

"In those days, you don't cut nor tamper with trees around the streams which act as shade for the water but now go to those water channels, you'll discover that the whole trees have been cut down and the streams dried up. Even in our farms, we no longer have good crop yield.

"We had come out as a community earlier on to demonstrate that we don't want the faceless Chinese in our community again but since the chiefs are on their side, there's almost nothing we can do," she lamented. 

In a response to the allegations that the Chinese have no proper certification and immigration papers, the chief security officer of the Chinese firm, Mr. Raymond Okongor, said the Chinese have their immigration papers and are properly certified to conduct legitimate business anywhere in Nigeria.

 Okongor buttressed the fact that their mode of operation is to buy white wood from the locals for processing into particle wood, explaining that they have never gone into the forest to cut wood hence the company shouldn't be held liable for the adverse effect on the community. 

In a bid to find lasting answers to the identity of the Chinese nationals, the seven man fact-finding committee engaged all parties involved in series of interviews. The report of the fact-finding committee as signed by the Chairman, Engineer Ndoma Akpet Nyambi, and other members of the committee, revealed that the Chinese were not properly cleared for the business at Effi community.

“The company has no identity and there is no sign post at the site for easy identification and direction. They did not show us any certified company name.

When contacted, the Chinese officials present at the time of interview, could not show the committee any document showing immigration clearance or valid documents allowing them entry into Nigeria. 

“We observed that the Chinese had no registered company name. So, it is a sole proprietor business as no staff could avail the committee with any useful information,” the report read in part.

Further investigation revealed that the chiefs in Effi are aware that there are Chinese nationals operating in the community but claim not to know their name nor identity. Although they agreed that there was an agreement signed between the community and the company, none of the chiefs agreed to disclose the signatories to the agreement.

However, Chief Emmanuel Enya Agbor, who spoke in an interview with the fact-finding committee, maintained that he does not know the Chinese nationals nor their identity but revealed that the Chinese had entered an agreement with the community to operate for 30 years paying N6,000,000 (six million Naira only) every 10 years after which the agreement can be reviewed.

Amid agitation from community members for the Chinese to reveal their true identity and documents or vacate the community, the committee, however, recommended that their copy of Cooperate Affairs Commission registration, immigration documents, clearance and concession for their loggers from the forestry commission must be produced.

All efforts by THE BEAGLE NEWS to get across to the chairman of the Cross River State Forestry commission, Hon. George O’ben-etchi, could not yield positive result as at the time of going to press.