Wole Ayodele in Jalingo
The alleged move by the Taraba State Government to privatise Mambilla Beverages Limited, producers of Highland Tea, has come under serious criticism by the company’s host community, which has vowed to resist its sale.
The host community in a statement made available to journalists in Jalingo yesterday accused the state government of pursuing a political vendetta and a plan to impoverished the people of the community.
The statement, which was signed by Abdullahi Abdulkareem and Usman Laido, chairman and secretary respectively, on behalf of Kakara community in Sardauna Local Government Area of the state, also debunked claims by the state government that the community has agreed to the privatisation of the company.
The community had also on June 30, 2022, staged a protest at the premises of the company, where they were addressed by the Managing Director of Taraba Investments and Properties Limited, Mr. Iliya Ezekiel.
According to the statement, “We categorically state here that no member of the host communities welcome the idea of the privatisation, and are happy with anything about the so-called privatisation.”
It also accused the government of discrimination against the host community particularly in appointments into administrative positions while leaving only menial jobs for them.
Debunking the position of the state government that the planned privatisation was to reposition the company for efficiency and profitability, the community maintained that the company remains the most profitable of all the state-owned firms, especially in terms of service delivery and job creation.
“The company is the highest in terms of employment in Taraba State after state government, and this is because of the low cost of production. If the government was interested in privatisation for “profitability, productivity and efficiency, it should go on and privatise the Greenhouse in Jalingo, Kurmi Timber factory, Taraba Motel Jalingo, Jalingo new market, Cassava industry, and Gassol Rice Mills.”
They, however, alleged that the land on which the company is situated was taken over from them without compensation, and, therefore, must be compensated before any privatisation can take place.
The community stated further that: “We have a right to adequate compensation for any land taken over from us in accordance with domestic and international laws and socio-economic best practices. We reject the plan in its entirety and caution you on its ripple effects.
“The host community must be compensated for their lands taken over since 1975 and be paid the cumulative value to date at current rate.”
