There are indications that former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, may lose the vast 12,400 Ayip Eku Oil Palm Estate in Akamkpa LGA, Cross River State, operated by Ningsong M-House Oil Palm Ltd, a company owned by him, after Cross River State government officials flew the kite that the estate may, in the next one month, be taken back by the state government.
Confirmed government sources had initially dropped hints about a take back of the estate citing complaints of neglect, leaving most parts of the estate fallow.
Johnson Ebokpo, Commissioner for Agric and perhaps the highest level state government officials, so far, to comment on this situation, openly stated that a horde of complaints and petitions are mounting against Saraki’s firm, with even the host community backing calls for a new investor to succeed Ningsong.
Responding to the petitions, www.calitown.com was informed that the Cross River State Government, has given Saraki’s firm one month to submit a comprehensive plan to revamp the estate or the CRS House of Assembly will commence plans to process a takeover with accompanying legislation.
We were also reliably informed that the five landlord communities of Iku, Abung, Akor, New Ndebiji and Okarara communities have consistently maintained that Saraki’s firm has failed to implement the terms of reference entered into, has refused to shoulder her corporate social responsibility to the communities and is instead veering into illegal timber logging in the Cross River National Park.
But Moyi Ladoja, Managing Director of Saraki’s firm, denied that they were into logging and pleaded for two months to enable them properly detail their development plans.
The Cross River State-owned Ayi Eku Oil Palm Estate was privatised in 2007 under the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
