By Mary Bassey And Beatrice Ori
The Cross River State House of Assembly has called for the immediate revocation of the concessioned state-owned industries, frowning by the concession of several state-owned industries as well as the Metropolitan Hotel.
The Lawmakers called on the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to take legal steps to seal up the Metropolitan Hotel with immediate effect pending when their documents are made available to the House for scrutiny and all concessioned industries without due process be revoked and returned to the State.
They further urged the Bureau of Public-Private Partnership, the State Privatisation Council, and other relevant Government Agencies to evaluate the affected industries to ascertain their validity.
These resolutions were adopted following the conclusion of a debate on the report of the Special Committee set up by the Assembly to investigate the ownership status of Metropolitan Hotel and other State-owned assets.
The Chairman of the Committee and Member representing Abi State Constituency, Rt. Honorable Davies Etta, while presenting the special committee’s report, recalled that the House, during the plenary of 16th April, deliberated on a motion calling on the Assembly to investigate and ascertain the true position of the Metropolitan Hotel which was concessioned during the administration of the former Governor, Mr, Donald Duke. He added that the matter was referred to a Special Committee for investigation and to report back to the House.
Etta, further informed that the Committee interfaced with critical stakeholders to enable it to make informed decisions.
He reiterated that the previous administration of Governor Ben Ayade had, in his bid to industrialize the State, established the industries; however, the lack of funds hampered the actualization of the objectives.
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He stated that the State Government later constituted the Privatization Council to privatize the industries since the Government could no longer bear the cost of running them but despite elaborate advertisements, there was no position response so companies were engaged to take over the factories even in their uncompleted state.
These industries according to the Abi Legislator include, Garment Factory, Rice Seed/Seedling, Edible Groundnut oil Bekwarra Factory, Cassava Starch Factory Obubra, Feed, and Integrated Poultry Farm.
Others are Noodles, Ultra-Modern Chicken Slaughter, Calabar Pharmaceutical Company, British-Canadian School of Law and Medicine, Kakum, Obudu, Ultra-Modern Rice Mill Ogoja, and Transcorp.
In reaction to the findings, the members of the House expressed deep concern over the situation. Hon. Ovat Agbor, representing Obubra 1 State Constituency, urged the State Government to take immediate action to reclaim state-owned properties. “What belongs to the State should be returned appropriately,” he stated.
Hon. Francis Ogban, representing Biase, criticized the previous administration for its lack of due process in the concession of the hotel. He called on the government to ensure that the property is returned to the State so citizens can benefit from the employment opportunities.
Hon. Egbe Abeng, representing Obubra 2, emphasized that all state properties belong to the people and must be recovered. “No one is more Cross Riverian than another,” he said, stressing that the State’s assets should be safeguarded for the benefit of all citizens.
The Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, in his remarks, condemned the misappropriation of state-owned properties by individuals, declaring that such actions are unacceptable. “Cross River State properties do not belong to any family members but to the Cross River State Government and its citizens,” he said.
The Speaker further assured that the 10th Assembly would continue to work towards repositioning the State on the right trajectory to achieve the “People’s First” agenda.