C-River Shuts Down 'Illegal Logging' Firm
From Amby Uneze in Calabar
Cross River State Government has approved the closure of Western Metal Products Company Limited (WEMPCO) with immediate effect with a charge to the company to close down all its forestry related activities in the state.
WEMPCO which started prospecting for wood in the state in 1992 has continued to operate in a most unsuitable manner and in contravention of extant forest laws and regulations.
The closure is not unconnected with the recent directives from the government that WEMPCO should suspend logging of wood in the Cross River State tropical rain forest as a result of accusation that they are seriously involved in illegal logging.
An environment and development organisation, the Rain forest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC) has been fighting to ensure that the company stopped the ravaging of wood in the rain forest through illegal logging.
RRDC had alerted government of the consequences of the activities of WEMPCO in that state, adding that the state was currently losing millions of naira as a result of the uncontrolled illegal logging that was going on.
According to the release signed by the Special Assistant/Chief Press Secretary, Dominic Kidzu, the wrongs perpetrated by the company include refusal to log from its concession area, habitual patronage of illegal loggers and exportation of unprocessed wood materials such as veneer and swan timber out of the state for processing into finished products in Lagos and Ogun States contrary to the original intention of siting the factory at Ikom.
Kidzu said that other reasons are acceptance of logs into the factory even when there is a current ban on movement of logs and total failure to adopt environmentally sustainable forest conservation techniques.
"In the light of the above, His excellency, the Governor, Mr. Donald Duke, has approved the decision of the state forestry commission that the company cease to engage in any forestry related business within Cross River State," Kidzu said.
Accordingly, he said WEMPCO has been given a period of 21 days within which to evacuate its plant, equipment and machinery from all forest reserves and or community forest in Cross River State.
It could be recalled that WEMPCO was recently dragged to court by the staff of RRDC for instigating the police in the state to arrest and detain staff of RRDC for snapping photographs of illegal logging done by the company.
It is also believed that by the action of the state government, illegal logging of wood would stop and there would be life in the rain forest there.
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