Women group president, Ejukwa, denies involvement in Effi Community protest

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

Women President Effi Community, Okuni village, Ikom local government area of Cross River State, Mrs. EKim Ejukwa, has distanced herself from Saturday’s protest that was led by a faction of women against establishment of white wood particle board production factory by Chinese nationals in the community.

The women president made the assertion while answering questions from our reporter in a telephone chat in Calabar, shortly after the purported protest by Effi community women yesterday.

Ejukwa averred that it was only a fraction of the women who participated in the protest stressing that herself and other women who were opposed to the protest refused to participate in the protest given the fact that laid down rules were never followed before calling them out for the protest.

Speaking in ‘Pidgin English’ the female traditional ruler said, “why I follow them go protest, wey I no get proper information say them want do protest? I no dey with them ooh. They just wear black clothes come stay for my house My hand no dey inside ooh”. She maintained.

The women president stated that she returned from Saturday’s church programme only to find a group of women dressed in black gathered at her residence, made an attempt to convince her to join the protest but she declined because she was not informed from the time the plan was hatched.

“I don’t support them because they do not respect me like a chief”, . Stressing that it’s the reason behind her refusal to participate in the protest.

When asked to explain if she participated in signing of agreement that authorized the Chinese nationals to do business in Effi community, the women president retorted, “I signed am I no fit lie”

Recall that there had been a series of petitions written by

conservationists who are also community leaders opposing the establishment of white wood particle board processing factory in the community.

The development led to visitation to the community by Forestry commission with members of his team to ascertain if really the Chinese factory was set up in the forest

The forestry commission chairman George Obene’chi discovered that the factory is in the heart of the community and not in the forest as earlier alleged.

Again, lawmakers of the state House of Assembly led by a member representing Obubra 2 state constituency, Egbe Abeng, early this month also visited the community to also find out if there was a factory in the forest incidentally none was found in the forest.

He said, “Contrary to claims in some quarters that Chinese nationals set up their word particle board production factory in the forest, it has finally been confirmed that the factory isn’t in the forest but in the heart of the community and the matter has been resolved, he maintained.

“The issue of asking who the Chinese are, and the content of the agreement, to me is unnecessary given the fact that the agreement had already been made available to everybody, particularly those who were at the state house last Thursday.

“I am surprised that some women are still asking at this time, who the Chinese are, even when they visited Calabar Thursday last week and the law makers asked those present at the complex if they knew the firm, they accepted.

“I am surprised to see a faction of women coming to lead a protest raising the question about who the Chinese nationals are. They should leave our forest, this is absurd.