…condemns attack in Nde community
Senator representing Cross River Central in the National Assembly, Senator Eteng Williams, is appealing to his constituents to shun every form of violence clash in this year’s farming season that is around the corner.
The Senator acknowledged that most farming season comes with communal clashes over farmlands when simple dialogue would have resolved the difference that led to the clashes.
Speaking in an interview with our reporter, Senator Eteng said dialogue is the only option and condemned the reported incident of attack in Nde community of Ikom Local Government, calling on the security agencies to double their effort to bring to book those behind the attack that has recorded the killing of no less than two persons and adoption of many others.
The Senator also advocated a distinct constitutional role for traditional rulers, arguing that such would help in conflict resolution in various communities across the country.
Senator Williams, who is the immediate past Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly and the current Senate Committee chairman on Upstream Petroleum Sector, said, “The traditional rulers have a key role and that is why some of us are proposing an amendment to the Constitution where we should have a role for traditional rulers.”
In his words, “We need the traditional rulers to have a role constitutionally that will help in conflict resolution. The best way of conflict resolution is when you nip it in the bud.
“Sometimes, you start from the family and you know that our traditional rulers should have a role and we know ourselves when we talk about our community.
“Every community know themselves, we know the bad ones and the good ones; they will call the family head and say come, they can be tamed.”
The lawmaker advised warring communities to use dialogue to resolve conflicts as that is the only option, and assured his constituents to expect good representation in 2024, adding that he has this far attracted a number of developmental projects to the senatorial district.
These, he said, include the road from Adim to Ndigbe, another road in Obubra across the river where they never had a road as well as the Ugep – Abomeghe, Ikom to Obudu road, which are all captured in the 2024 budget.
Other projects, he said, include things like water, schools, renovations, solar lights that I have been able to capture in my very first budget and all these things will be executed this year.
He disclosed that as the chairman of the Petroleum Upstream Committee in the Senate, the turnaround maintenance of the refineries this time is a reality and the Senate is as well looking into the issue of oil theft with a commitment to nip same in the bud.
