Host community of the proposed $1 billion Calabar Virgin City, Etap Ayip Kasuk Qua Clan II, in Calabar, Cross River state, has placed a traditional injunction called “Ekpe” on the proposed site, thereby stopping work on the project.
The physical part of the injunction made up of palm fronds, pieces of red cloth among other things round the perimeter and on equipment at the site, has scared off the workers who have steered clear since it was put up.
Clan Head of Community, His Royal Highness, Ntoe Ededem Okon Ayito, said they had to place the traditional injunction because the government did not consult them before bulldozing the land for the project.
“Why we placed traditional injunction is that last year December, the government came to mount signpost there for proposed virgin city, which the community was not aware. So we now placed an Ekpe traditional injunction restraining them from entering the community swamp forest to do any project without the consent of the community, because by law the community has to be consulted first. So we now placed that injunction and they came and since it was a governmental project, I now conceded that we should do the groundbreaking so it should not be an embarrassment to the state. They now did a groundbreaking on the 29th of December, said Ayito.
“Since then, there is supposed to be an understanding between the community and the government, so that the community would know how many hectares of land they want to acquire and the purpose of the acquisition, whether it is for overriding public interest or not and so on. But we have not heard anything from the government. Since then till date nothing has happened. No communication between the government and the community.
“Only for us to see swamp boogies in our forest destroying our economic trees worth billions of naira. I have tried to see how we can sit down and resolve this issue with government but it seems on their part they want to use force. Is it the community that would fight government? No. How can we fight government? Government is supposed to respect the Land Use Act of the country. You know that before you acquire land, there has to be processes. If they have not met up with the terms, why should they go in and destroy what belongs to the community, which is our livelihood. This is the only thing we have. A lot of people and families are being deprived of their livelihood, he continued.
“See the expanse of what they used swamp boogies to destroy with no compensation. The community has risen up because with what they have destroyed, the people now are hungry. People that have sunk in their thousands and millions to plant now have nothing. How can they live with their families? How can they train their children? We are not happy as a community.
“We are not aware of what they are doing there now. They just entered there and started destroying our source of livelihood and now the people are suffering. That is why we say it should not happen and put in the injunction. All we are saying is that the government should follow due process because the land belongs to people. We are not fighting the government. The government cannot take our land and take it for their own interests unless it is for overriding public interest, which the community still has to be beneficiaries.
“The implication is that government should stay off until the proper thing is done. The consequences of defying the injunction is left for those that defy it, Ayito concludes.
