BEVERLY HILLS, May 19, (THEWILL) -The Cross River State Government has inaugurated a Peace, Reconciliation and Rehabilitation Committee to resolve the decades old land dispute in four of its communities.
The land disputes are between Ebom/Ebijakara as well as Ediba/Usumutong communities both in Abi Local Government Area of the state.
The five-man committee is headed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Senate Majority Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba.
The State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, who inaugurated the committee at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, regretted the loss of lives and properties that had trailed the conflicts.
He charged the committee to find a lasting solution to the crises in the interest of the state and expressed confidence in the capacity and integrity of the members.
He said: “Seek ways and means to bring lasting peace to the people of Ebom , Ebijakara, Ediba and Usumutong people, to put a lasting peace and bring hope to our people.
“Your choice as Chairman is based on your antecedents as a SAN, you have reached the pinnacle of your profession, the profession of dispensing justice and fairness.
“As a SAN you know you have a deep experience of Cross River State. Your history is as old as the new renaissance of Cross River.
“You know all the key players by name, your image and towering influence should be able to calm the nerves and sit everyone down on a negotiating table and agree.
“It is a call from Almighty God because the amount of bloodshed has reached an unacceptable limit, the level of wanton destruction has become cataclysmic.
“You have a duty to ensure that your committee performs her duty with dispatch. We are saddling you with a responsibility that is the biggest ever because you have a role to get all the four communities to sit together.”
He tasked the committee to look into the boundaries of the warring committees and explore the possibility of demarcating them.
He also promised that the report of the committee would determine the amount of houses to be built in these communities, water supply, rural electrification, solar installations and other interventions.
Responding, Senator Ndoma Egba assured the Governor his committee would bring peace to the four communities.
He assured that the committee is not political and they will give their best to the assignment.
The former Senate Majority Leader further said: “We will put our lives, our bodies, our blood and our souls into this assignment.
“It is not in anyway a political assignment because peace has nothing to do with politics.”
About the Author
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
