By Archibong Jeremiah
Information reaching CrossRiverWatch indicate that some unknown persons in Calabar are trying to create a motor-able road in an erosion prone area where a huge ravine spanning thousands of square kilometers has been located for over 15 years.
According to Mr. Umoh Etim, Branch Manager, Calabar Homeland Hotels (CHE) who spoke to CrossRiverWatch when our reporter visited the location: “On Saturday evening I got a call from my assistant that some group of unknown persons want to create road behind my fence which shares boundary with Cross River State Water Board Limited property, when I came, I asked the workers I met who is in charge but no one answered.
“On Sunday morning I went to the Police Headquarters, Diamond Hill, Calabar and reported the case verbally; immediately a senior officer came with me, assessed the place and it’s impossible to create a road there because it’s a ravine.
“Today being Monday I went to Ministry of Lands And Housing where I laid a verbal complaint as I did at the police station. When the people from lands came with me they saw it and said almost the same thing with the police officer that it is not government approved, work should stop and at the time work stopped”.
He maintained that “What is keeping it safe are just the bamboos and other trees, the property at the entrance is owned by the Cross River State Water Board Limited”.
When our reporter visited the scene, a caterpillar was seen parked at the site and a short earth road already created by the contractor who was absent from the scene.
Efforts by CrossRiverWatch to locate the contractor have not yielded result and attempts to confirm if there is any authorization for the construction of the access road was also futile as our checks at both the state ministry of works and governor’s office confirmed the state was not aware of any such development.
As at the time of filling this report, the persons behind the creation of the road were still not known and the cause of creating the road was also not clearly established but people within the vicinity say there is a land to be sold and the seller wants to create an access road.