The Cross River State House of Assembly has adopted a motion calling on the State Government to establish timber markets in the three senatorial districts of the State.
The House said that the establishment of the timber markets would enhance the State’s revenue as well as create employment opportunities for citizens.
The House had deliberated on a Motion brought before it by the Member representing Obubra 1 State Constituency, Hon. Egbe Abeng Egbe.
According to Egbe, “There is a need for the Government to establish timber markets across the senatorial districts of the State to provide a platform for registered indigenous timber loggers to sell their timber products. This will prevent outsiders from exploiting our State’s resources by carrying timber to other States and selling it at higher rates.”
The Obubra Lawmaker maintained that the State has been vulnerable to exploitation of timber resources due to lack of regulation, adding that individuals from within and outside the State freely harvest timber from the State’s forests and sell to neighbouring states at high prices, thus making huge profits at the detriment of the State.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, expressed unhappiness over the situation stressing that adequate measures should be put in place for the State to maximally benefit from its natural endowment.
“God has graciously blessed us with timber; it is an aberration that CRS, which owns the forest,s, is not maximising the gains,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of creating the timber markets, he added; “When the markets are put in place, people will travel from everywhere to our State to buy timber. The advantages of this include creation of employment opportunities as well as improvement in revenue generation.”
Other lawmakers unanimously supported the motion describing it as timely given the State’s efforts towards the improvement of its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).