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Land owners from Umuezenta, Umuelenwa and Okpuala all in Umuomainta Mbawsi, Isiala Ngwa North LGA of Abia State, on Thursday, gave Abia State Government 7 days ultimatum to revisit the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), pay proper compensation to owners.
Converging at Umuomainta on Thursday, the land owners once again accused the Abia State Government of grabbing their lands, decrying that proper compensation was yet to be carried out by the state government despite announcements on various medium of communication.
The landowners mostly farmers, said it was unfortunate that despite clearing their farm lands harbouring farm products, the government was yet to pay them their due benefits, stressing that this was in contrast to what obtains in other places where the government is supposed to pay full compensation before commencing work.
The Village Head of Umuezenta Mbawsi and a landowner, Echezolam Ukaumunna, said the Abia State Government has continued to frustrate land owners from the aforementioned villages. He said it was worrisome that despite being in the ember month, 80 percent of their lands have been cleared whereas 10 percent of the land owners were yet to receive compensation to secure lands elsewhere for farming.
He said even with the Governor’s earlier pronouncement on 31st of May that 100 percent of land owners have been paid, the people have continued to express the hope that the compensation will be completed, informing that they have run out of patience and can longer condone the propaganda of the State government.
Ukaumunna said with the attitude of the government, they are exposing youths of Nsulu to criminality as businesses, their lands and other sources of livelihood have been brought to comatose. He also decried the intimidation and harassment by security agents stationed in their lands, wondering why the Abia State Government will continue to treat them with great disdain.
He emphasized that for the past twenty years, present and previous administrations have sidelined Umuelenwa village, adding that the roads they are managing is constructed by their sons and daughters. They decried that their palm trees which have sustained them for several years as well as other cash crops are being cut down without compensation.
Ukaumunna said amid this, the landowners have decided to give the government of Abia State 7 days ultimatum to begin full compensation, not selective, maintaining that at the expiration the the 7 days, they will leave their houses and occupy their lands, saying they are not afraid of death anymore.
Also speaking, other land owners including the duo of Mrs. Theresa Madu and Isaac Ndukwe, from Umuelenwa village, said it was worrisome that at this time of the year, a farmer is yet to plant his crops on a portion of land, stressing that the most disheartening is that their farm products of last year are being destroyed with reckless abandon while the government is making payments on radio.
Ndukwe particularly accused those who till the airport runway paths of not releasing uprooted farm produce to their owners as they threaten them with cutlass just as he alleged that they take it to available markets for sale, describing it as “criminality and land grabbing”.
He criticised the government for not encouraging people to embark fully on agriculture, emphasizing that their sources of livelihood has been destroyed and the hopes of their families surviving hangs on a balance, adding that the government has pushed them too far, reminding of the consequences of their actions on the youth population.
Contributing, the general youth leader Umuelenwa Village, Mr. Ozioma Agbakwuru, reafirmed that the villages are not opposing the airport project by the Abia State Government, but pointed out that the bone of contention lies on the issue of compensation.
He acknowledged that the Abia State Government has begun the process of compensation, stating that the government has not compensated up to 10 percent of land owners from Umuelenwa, and other villages which is why they converged to call the Governor Alex Otti led administration to ensure that the people are duly compensated.
Agbakwuru added that their farmlands have been destroyed. He also reminded the State Government to follow due process in the land acquisition, stressing that the MoU was not duly signed, and other benefits accruing to members of the communities is yet to be met.
He said if the Governor is insisting on the statement he made in May that he has paid 100 percent compensation to landowners, then he should ask those working with him the people they paid, emphasising that they were yet to receive compensation from the State government.
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