C/River Super Highway no economic sense – Group
https://www.fearlessreports.com/2017/11/criver-super-highway-no-economic-sense.html
Addressing the media in Abuja yesterday President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization, Smart Amaefula said: “It is clear that the manner in which the highway is being pursued is constitutionally out of place and makes little or no economic sense.
“In light of this, very strong statements need to be made to provoke action from the Cross River State Government, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the media that will stop this jumbo project that tend to destroy the only remaining rainforest in Nigeria, causes deforestation, displace communities and millions of innocent people with little or no compensation and exacerbate climate change.”
The announcement in May 2015 by the Governor of Cross River state, Sen. Ben Ayade, the consequent commissioning of the super highway by President Muhammadu Buhari in October of the same years following a provisional construction permit and the revocation of a 20km right of way along the entire stretch of road in January 2016 sent shocking signals to the public.
Amaefula stated that on-going campaigns by different organisations against the Cross River Super Highway have forced the hands on the Ministry of Environments from giving full approval to the highway.
“The 23 conditions for the provisional Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) given in June 2017 only confirm that the Federal Ministry of Environment is not oblivious of the ulterior intentions of the Cross River State Government. Though the conditions where to be met in two weeks, after nearly 5 months of the conditional EIA approval, most, if not all of the conditions have not been met. Instead, the provisional approval was received with much rejoicing by officials of the CRSG,” he said.
It has been discovered that over a million people in 185 communities will be displaced by the highway.
