by crossriverwatch admin
The Cross River State Government has denied reports that it has put up its liaison office in Lagos for sale.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Liyel Imoke, Mr Christian Ita, today quoted the state Attorney General, Mr Attah Ochinke as describing the report as false.
Ochinke, who is the chairman of the Cross River State Privatization Council said the report was not only ludicrous but also mischievous.
“The Council has never broached the idea talk less of actually putting up the structure for sale,” the statement quoted Ochinke.
While urging members of the public, particularly Cross Riverians to disregard the report, the statement appealed to media practitioners to always verify their reports before going to press.
But the Chairman of the Association of Cross River State Indigenes, one of the groups mobilizing for the protest the alleged planned sale of the property insisted today to CrossRiverWatch that the association has concrete evidence that the property in Ikoyi has been put up for sale by the State Government.
The President of the group, Dr. (Obol) Emmanuel Ebri told CrossRiverWatch in Lagos that: “Whether the government denies it or not, we are going ahead with our protest on Saturday. We are not children in our organization; in fact, some of my members either own or are living in apartments that are better than that property in question. We are hardworking Cross Riverians who are not begging food in Lagos.
“We have been meeting in that place for a long time now and an agent, one Mr. Abraham, the proprietor of an estate company has been contracted by agents of the state government to sell the property. The secretary of our association who is also a lawyer posed as a prospective buyer and approached the agent who took him to the property for evaluation with the intention to buy. Discussions are presently ongoing between our secretary and the estate agent. The people who are presently running the place are also aware and have informed us that the property is up for sale. We are not going to keep quite and allow this one to be handed over to government cronies like Duke did with the property at Bishop Oluyole in Victoria Island.”
The Conference of Cross River State Professionals also in a text message circulated to members earlier today called on them to disregard any denial by government and stay poised for the peaceful rally at Ikoyi on Saturday.
The Convener, Mr. Effiong Nyong told CrossRiverWatch that: “We expected the government to deny after all, knowing that the ploy is now public knowledge. Our protest is based on solid and reliable information from people within and outside of government that the property has been put up for sale. We, like the Indigenes Forum, have also sent people under cover who have been taken to that place by the agent.
“We called him, one Mr. Abraham on his telephone number 08030522348 and began discussions with intent to buy the property and he has shown us enough evidence in the course of our undercover investigation to believe that the state through its agents are actually planning to sell that property despite their denials.
“Secondly, there is a precedent in what Duke did with our property at Bishop Oluyole in Victoria Island when he sold it to himself by proxy. So our allegation and fears are not unfounded. We are going ahead with the protest as planned on Saturday regardless of government denial. We are also afraid for other state owned properties at military street and other places in Lagos and may have to employ the legal option to stop the government if every other thing fail.” He said.
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