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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