By Isaiah Eka
The people of Mboho Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of A’Ibom have appealed to the State Government to intervene in the encouragement into their land by Sterling Petro- Chemical company.
The community accused Sterling Petro- Chemical company operating in the area for invading their farm land without any Environmental Impact Assessment report to back up their operations.
Mr Jerry Okoko, President General of Mboho Ikot Abasi, smade tge appeal during a news conference in Uyo on Saturday.
“This plea is sequel to the company’s unlawfully barricading our road, after encroaching and degradating the environment.
“The non inclusion of Mboho Ikot Abasi in implementation of the Host Community Development Trust Fund (HCDT) is worrisome.
“As a community, we are also not happy with the discriminatory employment practices and the failure to conduct mandatory environmental impact assessment as required by law for their operations, ” he said.
The president, who was flanked by elders of the community recalled that the petro chemical/ fertiliser firm never entered into any MoU with the people before their incursion into the community farmland depriving them of their means of livelihood.
According to him, they have lost the ecosystem particularly the forest system which necessary in balancing the environment in this area .
“We have lost the farmland that people were depending upon, marine mangrove barriers that shielded the community from wind influx in the ocean among others .
“In our immediate environment here in Ikot Abasi now, when there is windstorm, it is quite different from what it use to be due to effect of removing the barrier that was there in the mangrove protecting the community from wind.
“Other environmental issues include noise pollution as trucks are running 24 hours In the community causing accidents in the area,” he said.
Okoko therefore urged the state government to intervene for the community and restore environmental rights for both indigene and the area
