Niger Delta
Monarch Tasks FG On Super Highway’s EIA
The Obong of Calabar,
His Eminence, Edidem Okpo Okon Abasi Otu V, has joined and other eminent prominent Cross Riverians to call on the Federal Ministry of Environment to expedite action on the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the construction of the state’s 260-kilomtre superhighway.
This was even as they separately decried the activities of some local and foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) believed to be working against the commencement of the state’s superhighway.
Accusing the NGOs of playing petty politics with a project as massive as the superhighway that will add value to the lives of Cross Riverians, the royal father urged the Federal Government not to pander to the narrow interest of a few collaborators who do not mean well for the state.
Okon Abasi Otu, who advised politicians and ethnic jingoists to see the superhighway beyond political and ethnic lines, said: “When it comes to issues of development, party line or ethnic grouping should not be promoted at the detriment of the people you claim to represent. We are endowed with a large chunk of forest cover that stretches up to the Cameroons, so opening up a small portion to bring about development to the state as well as make the people feel a sense of belonging and the impact of this administration should not be stalled for whatever reasons.”
Faulting claims that the 260km superhighway will impinge on the state’s vast forest cover, Abasi Otu said: “As far as I am concerned, the construction will not distort conservation as more trees will be planted to replace the few trees that will be taken off in the cause of construction. This will also boost conservation effort of the government because people will have access to the forest as it is the practice globally.”
Speaking in the same vein, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa said that the superhighway had the potential of changing the economic landscape of the state and lamented that bad politics and ethnicity were being introduced to kill the project.
“Honestly, it is unfortunate that people are playing politics with a project as massive as the superhighway. They should not undermine a project that will be of great benefit to the people. Even in America and other advanced countries, when they undertake massive projects, large area of land is always cleared. Governor Ayade is an environmentalist, who is passionate about the environment. So he will not engage on any project that will be counter-productive to the environment and the people,” Ita-Giwa said.
Similarly, the senator representing Cross River Southern Senatorial District, Senator Gershom Bassey maintained that when completed, the superhighway and the Bakassi Deep Seaport had the capacity and the magic wand to aggressively and positively change the economic fortunes of not only Cross River and its people but also the economy of the entire nation.
From Friday Nwagbara, Calabar
Niger Delta
Ibom Air Reiterates Commitment To Healthcare Delivery
Niger Delta
Group Dismisses Call For NDDC MD’s Sack … Passes Confidence Vote.
Niger Delta
Obaseki Approves N70,000 Minimum Wage For Workers
-
News1 day ago
Drama As Senators Jostle For Seats In Newly Renovated Chamber
-
Niger Delta1 day ago
Diri swears in 14 Commissioners, Revenue Chairman
-
Nation1 day ago
VCDF in Partnership with LDSVA Sensitise Women on Gender Equality, Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship
-
Niger Delta1 day ago
Obaseki Approves N70,000 Minimum Wage For Workers
-
Sports5 days ago
Chess Championship: Dan-Jumbo Emerges Best Female Player
-
Niger Delta1 day ago
Ministry Of Health Decorates Odu As End Malaria Champion In Rivers
-
Niger Delta1 day ago
Group Dismisses Call For NDDC MD’s Sack … Passes Confidence Vote.
-
Business1 day ago
Fuel Scarcity: IPMAN threatens shutdown over bridging claims