Acting Governor of Cross River State, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey.
By Anietie Akpan
The incessant communal clashes between communities in Cross River and Ebonyi states will soon be a thing of the past as Government of Cross River has commenced moves to complete the building of a mobile police base as a buffer zone in the warring area.
Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting in Obubra Local Government Area recently, the state government assured of a speedy completion of the proposed base for a Squadron of the Nigerian Police Mobile Force (PMF) at Ogurude, in Obubra to ensure an enduring solution to the age long boundary dispute between Osopong people of Cross River and Izi/Ikwo people of Ebonyi state.
This was contained in a press release by the Chief Press Secretary of Obubra LGA, Mr. Ekong Okpa.
The Acting Governor of Cross River, Rt. Hon Peter Odey, gave the assurance following the outcry of security threats in the boundary areas by stakeholders at the interactive session with the people, held at Obubra Council auditorium.
The Acting Governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr Pius Ankpor, stated that work will resume with immediate effect to ensure completion and delivery of the project.
“Let me assure you that Work will start at the proposed Police Mobile Force Base in Ogurude as soon as I return to Calabar” he stated.
The Governor who also commended the Council Chairman Hon Kingsley Arikpo, for his uncommon feat in infrastructural development, intimated that the state government has mapped out in it’s 2025 budget, a few kilometres of roads infrastructure to cover the geo spread of the LGA within available resources.
Oday explained that government would deploy the concepts of choice and opportunity cost in the face of scarcity of resources to satisfy the people’s priority projects, urging the people of Obubra to draw up a scale of preference in their choice projects.
During the five hours interactive session, the demand for the Obubra Ring Road topped the agenda as stakeholders spoke in the affirmative, craving for the grading and asphalting of Obubra- Ofumbongha/Ochon Ring Road, navigating Ofumbongha Yala- Onyen-Orangha, Akam-Ogbagwoni and Onyen Okpon communities, to immortalize the former Deputy Governor of Cross River, His Excellency, Chief John Oyom Okpa of blessed memory.
The stakeholders also placed as priority, the completion of the proposed base for the Nigerian Police Mobile Force at Ogurude, Obubra, long abandoned at 70 percent completion.
In a rousing ovation, the stakeholders passed a voice vote of confidence on the Council Chairman Hon. Arikpo for his unrivaled giant stride and vigor in stamping out threats of inter communal skirmishes and other pockets of violence that bedeviled the LGA in recent times.
