By Ogar Monday: House of Assembly Correspondent
The Cross River State Government says it will not pay compensation to anyone whose land is located at the area where the proposed new cities will be located.
The Commissioner for Lands and Housing, John Inyang disclosed this during a stakeholder’s forum with the central senatorial district to negotiate where the new cities will be sited at the House of Assembly complex in Calabar.
Inyang who argued that all lands belong to government with the Governor holding it in trust for the people charged all who were delegated to speak to remove all form of bias in their minds as the Government will “not pay any kobo” for the land.
However, he said the state will pay compensation for “economic trees, farm produce, and house if there are any. But we won’t pay compensation for the land.”
The Commissioner for New Cities Development, George Ekpungu whose ministry convened the forum said that the new cities will be settlements constructed either way of the proposed 260km superhighway and will be environmental and visitors friendly.
The state had proposed the construction of a 260km superhighway to serve as an evacuation corridor for the proposed Bakassi deep seaport to northern Nigeria but has been marred with controversies on issues ranging from the Environmental Impact Assessment to financing and land grab allegations with the government alleging that some people were politicking with the “state’s future.”
The Speaker of the Assembly, Honorable John Lebo said the central senatorial district was lucky as the Governor has left the choice of the location to them which he said does not take away the Governor’s final say on where the city, named “Centricot” will be sited.
He called on all present to see the city, wherever it is to be sited as a unifying tool for the region.
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