A delegation of the Who is who in Northern Cross River visited the displaced people of Belegete who are taking refuge on the Obudu Ranch Resort.
The visit which coincided with the Christmas feast, 25th of December, 2023, was funded by the group, pooling together resources from donations made by members.
The delegation which was led by the initiator of the group, Barr. Chief Dr. Donclaimz Enamhe took with her items in excess of ₦3million.
The items presented to the Belegete IDPs include 30 bags of 50kg Rice, 5 bags of 100kg garri, 154 pieces of blanket and 10 bags of 100kg beans.
Speaking at the visit, Chief Dr DonClaimz Enamhe informed the IDPs of Belegete that the group made up of sons, daughters, brothers and sisters of Cross River North, under the aegis of this non-political group has heard the distressed cry of the people of Belegete, being our Kith and Kin has put together the items to come and confirm the veracity or otherwise of the SOS call.
He assured the people that they are not alone in this. Chief Enamhe informed them that the group’s philosophy is built upon the foundation laid by our fore fathers who were communal in character and civil in attitude. He added that it is therefore imperative to consolidate on these core values of our people in other to move the people forward in our quest for development in the 21st century where there is a strong need for regional and cultural identity.
The leader of the Delegation, Chief Dr DonClaimz Enamhe, also presented a position paper from the group, Who is Who of Cross River North, stating the resolve of the group to among other intentions pursue the following Objectives:
1. To ascertain the remote and instant cause of the crisis.
2. To as much as possible mitigate against the consequences of the crisis.
3. To attract the attention of all the three tiers of government to the plight of the Belegete people.
4. To ascertain the perennial problems of the people which are possible reasons for their vulnerability to such crisis and make recommendations to appropriate quarters.
5. To reintegrate the people of Belegete back to mainstream Cross River North community and give them a sense of belonging.
In their response, the people were very happy and felt a sense of relief and belonging. In a speech by their newly coronated Village Head, chief John Abraham, who expressed gratitude to the group for the sacrificial visit putting together items that reminded them of the visit of the Magi to the new born king Jesus more than 2000 years ago. He narrated their ordeal in the hands of Ambazonian separatists which he said was a bizarre display of man’s inhumanity to man.
According to the Village Head, Chief John Abraham, the people of Belegete are a peace loving community, and were peacefully carrying on their daily activities when the devil struck that faithful day. People who were returning from their farms, markets, and other personal endeavours were attacked mercilessly and some were killed while others were maimed.
The Village Head, Chief John Abraham further stated that the attack was unprovoked and unwarranted. He said the people of Belegete did not know anything about the Ambazonian separatists until the attack on their community. And that as a border community, they have seen people crisscrossing the area going to and fro their businesses without let or any hindrance. But on this black day, they were attacked by unknown gunmen. They later were informed that they were fleeing separatists from Cameroon and perhaps they were in search of shelter and supplies.
The Chief therefore called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency provide the Community with basic infrastructures such as motorable roads, police post or better still a joint security post. He also revealed that the area is rich in mineral resources and the abundant mineral deposits are lying untapped because of inaccessibility to the place. He also expressed the readiness of the Belegete people to return to their homeland as soon as possible because according to him, it is not a pleasant experience to be yanked out of your natural inhabitance into nowhere. He said the harsh weather condition and inadequate supplies are biting hard on them leading to deaths.
Present to welcome the Delegation were the Clan Head, HRH Chief Sunday Ichile, Village Head: Chief John Abraham, Community Leader, Mr C. K. Aondo and Youth leader, Comrade Eyos Kelvin.
The Delegation to the people of Belegete included Chief Dr. DonClemz Enamhe, Hon. Justice Emmanuel Ubua, Dr. Isaac Ishamali, Elder Agba Ebenezer Agba, Dr. Mrs Mary Mark Ogbeche, Dr. Mrs. Martina Ntino, Mr. Roland Ugeh and Mr. John Okom.
