The Cross River State Policy Advocacy Committee, CRS-PAC, has disclosed that it will take the one full year or more and billions of naira to rebuild government and private-owned properties that were destroyed by hoodlums during the devastating crisis occasioned by #Endars protest in the state.
The Committee Vanguard learned is a project implementation arm of the Niger Delta Dialogues in the state and has been working on insecurity in the Niger Delta Region with the assistance of the European Union.
In a statement on Monday, signed by its Secretary, Mr Dominic Kidzu and made available to Vanguard, said it was pained by the fact that key infrastructures and service agencies, private homes were comprehensively devasted.
“The Cross River State Policy Advocacy Committee,CRS – PAC, completely and in no uncertain terms condemns the orgy of looting and destruction that has wrecked havoc in Calabar in the last three days which has led to the wanton loss of Federal, State and private properties.
“We are pained by the fact that key infrastructure and services agencies, and indeed private companies and homes have been comprehensively devastated in a manner that will take the state at least one full year to rebuild and will cost billions of naira as well.
“It is regrettable that a state that has been struggling with a dwindling economy with average expendable income plummeting to an all-time low is now saddled with the additional burden of rebuilding public infrastructure with funds that should have been invested on social welfare programs for the less privileged in the society.
“We note with regret that although the legitimate protest, #EndSars embarked upon by the youth of Nigeria had been equitably assuaged by the federal authorities and the State government.
“However, hoodlums, miscreants and thieves still went ahead to invoke a reign of criminality in Calabar, the capital city, the sort that has never been seen before in the history of the state and indeed the country at large,” they told Vanguard.
While commending the security agencies for their exemplary restraint in the face of the wanton breakdown of law and order, the Committee admonished them to rise up to the occasion now and professionally restore the peace, law and order in the state capital.
“While we urge the federal government to go beyond the creation of SWAT by working with the National Assembly to affect structural changes in the nation to make it more manageable.
“We commiserate with the federal and state government for the loss of valuable property even as we sympathize with private individuals whose homes and sources of livelihood were also destroyed. It is the hope of CRS – PAC that normalcy will return to Calabar as soon as possible,” they submitted.
Source: Vanguard
