by crossriverwatch admin
Cross Riverians in Lagos under the auspices of the Cross River State Indigenes Forum, will on Saturday, March 15, 2014 protest the planned sale of the Cross River State Liaison office in Ikoyi, Lagos.
CrossRiverWatch investigation has revealed that the liaison office located at 6C Club Road, by Ikoyi Police Station in Ikoyi Lagos has been put up for sale by the Imoke administration.
A top source in government who confirmed the information to CrossRiverWatch in anonymity said: “Yes, the government has put the property up for sale and the reasons are not clear. I am not authorized to speak on the matter so I will not divulge any information but I can confirm to you that there are agents who have been saddled with the responsibility of finding a buyer and there are already at work.
CrossRiverWatch can also confirm authoritatively that the agent has taken several prospective buyers to the property in the past one month for assessment and valuation.
But the Cross River State Indigenes Forum in Lagos have rejected the move and vowed that they will resist it vehemently.
The group said, having allowed Donald Duke to sell the other state owned liaison office property in Victoria Island, Cross Riverians should all rise up and resist this attempt by the Imoke administration to hand over the Ikoyi property to another crony.
Speaking to CrossRiverWatch in Lagos, the Publicity Secretary of the Group, Mr. Etima Agara warned that any attempt by the state government to deny indigenes of the state living in Lagos a place they can call a home and relate with will be resisted.
“Donald Duke sold the other property at Victoria Island to his crony. Now the other place that is remaining were we can run to if we need to do certificate of origin or sign documents that would have caused us to travel home, is also been put up for sale in another opaque deal.
“We will resist this very vehemently. We will not allow th to stand. Other states like neighboring Akwa Ibom also have their liaison office buildings here and we see how they renovate and carefully tend those building and the purpose they serve their citizens. Why is our own case different? He queried.
“On Saturday, March 15 by 10a.m. we are beginning with the first move which is a peaceful protest rally in front of the liaison office in Ikoyi to draw attention of the public and Cross Riverians in particular to this unacceptable move by our government. That building is the venue of our meeting and our home that we relate with in Lagos. No government should sell it.
“After this we will move on and begin an engagement process with the state government back home to see how this idea can botched.” He said.
In a related development, the Convener of the Conference of Cross River Professionals, Mr. Effiong Nyong has also called on all members of the group to join the Cross River Indigenes Forum on Saturday at the liaison office to protest the move by the state government to sell the property.
While speaking to CrossRiverWatch, Mr. Nyong said: “The days when these things happen without the consent of Cross Riverians is gone. When they used to do it hush hush and we don’t know anything is gone. We now have effective ways of communicating with ourselves. I am using this opportunity to tell all professionals from Cross River in Lagos and neighboring states that we cannot fold our arms and watch this administration sell that property the same way Duke sold the one in Victoria Island, we have to move fast and join our kinsmen on Saturday to protest the planned sale.
“If that does not work, we will also liase with our lawyers and consider a legal option to ensure this move is frustrated. We do not have any other place in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria to relate if we allow that property to be sold.” He concluded.
All attempts to get reactions from the state government were unsuccessful as most of the government officials that were contacted by CrossRiverWatch remained evasive and unwilling to comment on the matter while some feigned ignorance of the transaction.
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