Community Protests Planned Privatisation Of Cocoa Estate

Residents of Etomi in Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State have staged a protest against the state government’s plan to privatise a cocoa estate located in their community.

The protesters, comprising elderly cocoa farmers and youths engaged in the cocoa value chain, carried placards with inscriptions such as “Our cocoa estate is not for sale”, “We say no to privatization of our cocoa estate”, and “Don’t deprive us of our rights.”

They demanded an immediate reversal of the privatisation plan, warning that proceeding with it would severely impact their livelihoods.

Addressing journalists during the demonstration, a community leader, Mr. Mbek Agbor-Tangban, reminded the government of an existing agreement with their forefathers, under which the expansive land was donated for the cocoa estate.

“We were shocked to see a publication in the Nigerian Chronicle of June 25, 2025, announcing that the state’s Privatization Council is set to receive bids for our estate without consulting us, the landlord community,” Agbor-Tangban stated.

He insisted that the original agreement clearly stipulated that if the government ever intended to privatise or sublet the estate, the community must be consulted first and given the right of first refusal.

Echoing the same sentiments, Etomi’s women leader, Ntunkai Mary-Ndum, said if the government no longer wished to continue with the smallholder farmers scheme, it should remove its cocoa trees and return the land to the community.

Also speaking, a youth leader, Abang Shikina-Oji, warned that the proposed privatisation would place the host community at a disadvantage and urged the government to reconsider its plan.

The estate, established in the late 1950s by former Eastern Region Premier, Dr. Michael Okpara, remains a major source of livelihood for many in the community.

Responding to the protest, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Johnson Ebokpo, assured that the government would not take any action against the interest of the people.

“The governor is open to addressing any concerns. As we speak, he is ready to review any decision that may cause hardship to his people,” Ebokpo said.