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CSOs task Cross River gov-elect, Otu on forest preservation

Cross River State Governor-Elect, Senator Bassey Otu, has been charged to make clear his preference towards the preservation of the Cross River State Forest being one of the most valuable asset that the state has.

The charge was given by a collective of environment and ecology focused Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Cross River State Under the aegis of We The People, in Calabar at a press briefing where an open letter directed to the governor-elect, Senator Bassey Otu was read.

The CSOs are of the opinion that “the most significant and most dependable economic assets of Cross River State beyond crude oil revenues, is the enormous tropical rainforest in the state,” which according to them is “the largest remaining vestige of pristine tropical rainforest in West Africa.”

However, in an open letter to the governor-elect endorsed by the Executive Director of ‘We The People’, Ken Henshaw, Mr Odigha Odigha, Dr Clement Ebin and other stakeholders and presented to Journalists in Calabar on Thursday, the CSOs expressed worry over the illegal logging, sale of timber product and challenges in the ecological space of the state.

According to details stated in the open letter to the governor-elect: “In 2008, arising from an environmental summit, the Cross River state government instituted a moratorium on the forest specifically targeting loggers which it considered the key drivers of deforestation at the time.

“For the government, this action was necessitated by the need to protect the most critical asset of Cross River state which is its vast forests and the wildlife it shelters. Despite the moratorium, the spate of deforestation has rather intensified.

“At the moment, logging activities have taken more alarming and sinister dimensions in the state. In several communities, loggers and timber dealers establish their trading posts close to the forests, and form trade unions to regulate the business.”

The CSOs further mentioned, that, “Your Excellency, the illegal trade in timber has exacerbated insecurity in Cross River state. To facilitate the theft of forest resources, the state has seen the emergence of an armed cartel of ‘Crossers’ who take responsibility for arranging consignments of timber from the forest, and conveying them to designated destinations outside the state.”

They charged the governor-elect that “as you assume office on the 29th of May 2023, and deliver your inaugural address to the people of Cross River state, it will be a great opportunity to read the ‘riot act’ to those destroying the forests, and clearly state your preference for preserving the Cross River forests.”

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