Cross River State Governor, Bassey has signed an Executive Order to protect all

communities in the state that are richly endowed with mineral resources from

exploitation, insecurity, criminality, restiveness, and unauthorized infiltration.

The Executive Order No. 1 of 2024, is aimed at protecting mining communities across

the 18 LGAs of the state from insecurity, exploitation, and the unauthorized collection

of surface rent from mining entities operating in any part of the state, and the Order

takes effect from Wednesday, 14th August 2024.

Otu said, the Order has become imperative to ensure that all mining companies and

individuals operating in the state consistently pay their surface rent to promote safety,

peace, security, and good governance across the state.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, the

governor said, “Under the Executive Order and in compliance with Section 16 of the

Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, every mining entity or individual must obtain the

Community Consent and Development Agreement, which must be vetted by the

Ministry of Justice to avoid duplication and ensure that the community development

commitments align with the state’s overall development master plan.”

Governor Otu also said, the Executive Order provides the authority to impose and

collect surface rents, including the surface rent charge per mineral type per cadastre

and cadastral units, as well as guidelines for collection, the due date for payments from

the period of issuance of demand notices, and the remittance of fees to the state

accounts.