By Archibong Jeremiah
The Cross River State Government has resolved to put an end to the lingering feud between United Cement Company, UNICEM and its host communities (Akpabuyo/Akamkpa).
The decision of the government’s was disclosed by Mr. Anthony Imoh, Special Assistant to the Governor on Local Content, during a courtesy call to His Royal Majesty, Ntufam Clement Emayi, Paramount Ruler of Akamkpa Local Government Area of the State.
While addressing the SA, the King said they are fed up with the excesses of United Cement Company because the company is not leaving up to expectations.
His Royal Majesty, Ntufam Clement Emayi who was visibly angry said they are being exploited on daily basis.
He said, “We are suffering from all manner of pollution, water and air. They have no respect for us. I don’t have a car, my palace is nothing to write home about and they don’t care.
“Even if they don’t do for me personally what about the community collectively, they don’t, they only give individuals who don’t have the interest of the community at heart, and they have condemned all our sources of water”, he lamented.
The King further state that “the only jobs our natives have is manual jobs like cleaner, we don’t have any administrative staff in their midst. Even when my young men wants to wage war I plead with them but this time around it’s unbearable, Government should do something before we lose our mind”, he ended.
Responding, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Local Content, Anthony Imoh said he will call for a meeting between both parties with a view to avoiding crisis and making sure the right thing is done.
He emphasized that his mandate is to ensure that communities with local content benefit from their natural endowment.
“It saddens my heart hearing all the complaints that come from you people; to me local content is all about human capacity development, infrastructure development and educational scholarship which should be paramount to companies operating here.
“Infrastructure, skill development, micro credit scheme, employment and other programs, such as post graduate scholarship ought to be given to indigenes by operating companies”. He said
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