Raymond Okongor, Chief security officer to a Chinese firm (name witheld ) that buys splitted white wood in Efii clan, Okuni community, Ikom Iocal government area of Cross River State has berated Executive director, Rainforest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC) Prince Odey Oyama for making derogatory comments against the Chinese entrepreneurs who he alleged had no immigration permit to engage in any business venture in Nigeria.
Executive director of Rainforest Resources and Development Centre, Prince Odey Oyama had in a publication alleged that Chinese entrepreneurs involved in particle board business in Effi,Okuni community had failed to provide information about their permits or concession agreements issued to them by Forestry Commission authorising to do business in the area.
Okongor made the remarks while reacting to statement in the media credited to the management of Rainforest Resource and Development Centre RRDC Tuesday in Calabar.
In reaction to the topic, “Urgent call for government intervention in Effi prestine Rainforest Ecological Crises published by management of Rainforest Resources and Development RRDC, Okongor said, “there is no Chinese man that is in Effi community forest in Ikom local government area.
“This wood substantially does not come from Okuni forest, but from Boki and Obubra.
“The Chinese only station at the gate of their yard, and local loggers supply them with the white wood.
“The woods are soft trees gotten from umbrella trees, gmalina and probably tick trees that doesn’t have any record with the forestry commission.
“Besides that, the Cross River State government has lifted ban on logging, What is this thing that they are making noise about? The CSO queried.
The CSO stressed that series of petitions filed against the Chinese nationals who had engaged many youths in the particles board and building materials enterprise, prompted the chairman of forestry commission Dr. George O’benechi, to visit Effi community to see things for himself.
“I have gone through article of the Rainforest Resource and Development Centre RRDC , let me say emphatically that the Chinese nationals are not logging in Okuni.
“These logs that you see are from Obubra,Boki and Etung by local loggers, the Chinese wait at the gate of their yard to collect the wood from our local
loggers.
“Chinese nationals have nothing to do with Effi Okuni forest. These are the most commonest type of wood that sprouts from the base of the trees that are cut down. three weeks after the tree is cut down from the trunk.
Effort to get reaction of Executive director of RRDC Odey Oyama to comment on the issue failed as his telephone number did not go through as of the time of filing this report .