BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – Cross River State-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Citizens Against Crime and Corruption (CACC) has accused government officials of conniving with criminally minded elements to plunder the State’s forest resources.
Raising the alarm in a petition addressed to Governor Bassey Otu, CACC expressed shock that some dubious public officers saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the preservation of the rich forest resources are those who are rather complicit in the unfortunate plundering arrangment
A copy of the petition obtained by Forefront News indicted the officials for being unethical and actively colluding with illegal loggers to deplete the forest that could have served as a veritable Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base for government.
Signed by the CACC’s Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jon Lovetty, the petition alerted the government on the rising cases of illegal logging and forest deforestation activities across the state, noting that urgent measures should be taken to rein in such unpatriotic officials as they do not have the interest of Cross River State at heart.
Noting that the activities of illegal loggers have caused serious disolocation and destruction to the State’s pristine forestACC reserves, Lovetty said; “There is serious logging going on in the State and we decided to form our organisation to complement the effort of the State Government in checkmating the activities of criminals.
“The issue of logging is a dangerous thing because the criminals are always armed. We want these persons involved in illegal logging to be prosecuted and then the government should send people into our forests for fact-finding”.
The CACC boss queried the essence of spending tax payers money on what he described as ‘frivolous annual tree planting exercise’ when government officials are deliberately frustrating genuine efforts at making such laudable goal a reality.
However, he insisted that it was important to identify and sanction such erring officials as a deterrent, adding that “government must readily demonstrate clear and genuine intention in the fight against the continuous depletion of our forest reserves.
According to him, CACC was forced to petition the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) after discovering that as much as N250million was realized in one single swoop of selling a particular community forest in Iko Esai, Akamkpa Local Government Area without any proceed acruing to the government’s coffers.
Also taking a swipe at the anti-corruption agency for its seeming indifference in handling the case, the petitioners said it is surprising that instead of swinging into action to interrogate the situation and possible bring the culprits to book, the EFCC opted to treat such high level of economic crime against the State with kid gloves.
CACC further alleged that names of some identified illegal loggers and officials were forwarded to the EFCC and the Police authorities but unfortunately nothing was done, and the lives of those who have been the leading lights in the fight against illegal logging are now under threat.
The organisation said regrettably, officials’ inaction has also emboldened the illegal loggers who are now investing massively in acquiring forest reserves with their ill-gotten wealth at the expense of the people and their communities.
The petition sent to Governor Otu was accompanied by video clips, pictures and and a well documented cases of illegal logging with the affected communities requesting the government to urgently look into the matter to save the environment as well as explore available means of improving its revenue generation for development.
