Senator Eteng Williams
By PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
The lawmaker representing Cross River Central in the National Assembly, Senator Eteng Williams has appealed to his constituents to shun every form of violent clash in this year’s farming season that is around the corner.
Senator Eteng acknowledged that most farming season comes with communal clashes over farm lands when simple dialogue would have resolved the difference that led to the clashes
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Speaking in an interview with our reporter, Senator Eteng condemned the reported incident of attack in Nde community of Ikom local government, calling on the security agencies to double their efforts to bring to book those behind the attack that has recorded the killing of no less than two persons and adoption of many others.
The senator also advocated a distinct constitutional role for traditional rulers, arguing that such would help in conflict resolution in various communities across the country.
Senator Williams, who is the immediate past Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly and the current Senate Committee Chairman on Upstream Petroleum sector, said “The traditional Rulers have a key role and that is why some of us are proposing an amendment to the constitution where we should have a role for traditional Rulers.
In his words, “We need the traditional rulers to have a role constitutionally that will help in conflict resolution. The best way of conflict resolution is when you nip it in the bud.
“Sometimes you start from the family and you know that our traditional rulers should have a role and we know ourselves when we talk about our community.
“Every community know themselves, we know the bad ones and the good ones, they will call the family head and say come, they can be tamed”, he said.
Senator Williams, therefore, advised waring communities to use dialogue to resolve conflicts as that is the only option.
He assured his constituents to expect good representation in 2024 and added that he has far attracted a number of developmental projects to the central Senatorial district.
These he said includes the road from Adim to Ndigbe another road in Obubra across the river where they never had a road as well as the Ugep – Abomeghe, Ikom to Obudu road which are all captured in the 2024 Budget.
Other projects he said included: water, schools, renovations, solar lights that “I have been able to capture in my very first budget and all these things will be executed this year”.
Senator Eteng disclosed that as the Chairman of the Petroleum upstream committee in the Senate, the turn around maintenance of the refineries this time is a reality and the Senate is as well looking into the issue of oil theft in the country with a commitment to nip same in the bud.
