Fmr. aide defends Ogoja State creation hinging on economic viability from Cocoa revenue
A former Special Adviser (SA) to the immediate past governor of Cross River State on Cocoa Development and Control Dr. Oscar Ofuka, has defended creation of proposed Ogoja State citing economic viability of the state.
He stated that with the existence of cocoa production in the central axis of the state, makes the proposed Ogoja state economically viable to sustain itself.
Ofuka made the comment while answering questions from journalists on why Ogoja State should be created Saturday at Transcorp Hotel Calabar.
Ayade’s former aide who spoke shortly after the public hearing on constitutional review by House of Representatives, averred that if creation of Ogoja State scales through, the state will become one among the most qualified and economically viable among the States in the geo-political zones.
“The most qualified state to be created is the Ogoja State because it’s a province that was not made a state.
“The Ogoja province has all it takes to sustain itself. It has abundant natural and agricultural resources like cocoa which is an international crop.
“The entire ecology of the proposed state supports cocoa cultivation and development.
This is why we created a lot of awareness on cocoa development and also distributed cocoa seedlings across the three senatorial districts of the state giving priority attention to the northern senatorial district.
“Some of these seedlings have grown to plantations and are already yielding resources”, Ayade’s former aide maintained.
Ofuka stressed that with cocoa development and value chain creation, the proposed state is capable of standing out on its own without much reliance on the federation account.
The proposed Ogoja State is expected to be carved out of the present Cross River State. It has been gaining momentum and support from major stakeholders across Cross River State.
By: Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)
