Etomi Community Protests Government Plan to Privatize Cocoa Estate

Hundreds of smallholder farmers in Etomi community of Etung local government area of Cross River State marched through the streets on Wednesday, protesting the state government's plan to privatize the community's cocoa estate. The protesters rejected the reported government plan to give the estate to a private firm to operate, citing a provision in the agreement that landlords should be consulted and given priority in any privatization or subletting. The community leaders expressed their concerns, emphasizing that the move would put the host community at a disadvantage and likely throw many youths out of jobs, which might lure them into criminality.

Key Takeaways:

• The Etomi community in Cross River State is protesting the government's plan to privatize their cocoa estate.
• The community leaders claim that the government deviated from the agreement entered into with their grandparents, who donated the land for the cocoa estate.
• The protest is led by various community leaders, including Mr. Mbek Agbor-Tangban, Mr. Abang Shikina-Oji, and women leader Ntunkai Mary-Ndum.
• The community fears that privatization will put many youths out of jobs and lead to potential criminality.
• The state government has appealed for calm and assured that the Governor's primary concern is the people's interest.
• The Governor has agreed to review the matter and address the concerns of the people.

Statistics:

• Hundreds of smallholder farmers participated in the protest.
• The protest was held in Etomi community of Etung local government area in Cross River State.
• The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as 'Our cocoa estate is not for sale' and 'We won't accept privatization of our estate'.
• The community has a large cocoa estate with hectares of land donated by the community's grandparents.

Sources:

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• The Nigerian News
• Crossriverwatch