…Threaten to relocate families to Government House
Indigenes of Umuezenta, Umuelenwa and Okpuala communities in Umuomainta Mbawsi, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State, have called on Governor Alex Otti of the state, to immediately suspend the Abia State Land Acquisition Committee overseeing the Nsulu Airport project, alleging lack of transparency in its operations.
They also want the governor to personally visit the proposed airport site to assess the actual size of land earmarked for the project and to engage directly with landowners who are demanding openness in the process.
Speaking during a tour of the already cleared portions of land, Village Head of Umuezenta and Secretary of the Nsulu Landowners Association, Echezolam Ukaumunna, said inconsistencies on the part of officials handling the project make it necessary for the governor to “see things for himself,” insisting that the true situation was not being communicated to him.
He expressed concern over the governor’s silence on what he described as a sensitive matter, stressing that despite several protests by the rightful landowners, the state’s chief executive has yet to interface directly with those affected.
He argued that no MoU Committee should be constituted without representation from Umuezenta, Umuelenwa and Okpuala, the communities whose lands are involved.
Ukaumunna recalled raising concerns earlier in the project, only to be arrested and labelled as an opposition voice, maintaining that the very issues he pointed out at the time have now become evident.
The community leader lamented that as the rains recede, many landowners have neither received adequate compensation nor secured alternative farmlands, leaving their means of survival for the coming year uncertain. He described the living conditions of Nsulu indigenes as dire, with many unable to afford medical care.
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“You take away our land, our source of livelihood, and still fail to compensate us. How do you expect us to survive? Is this government for us or against us?” he asked.
Reiterating the demand for transparency, Ukaumunna said that the landowners would relocate with their families to Government House after one week if the issues remain unresolved.
He challenged the government to publish the full list of enumerated landowners, alleging that the current list contains fictitious names.
“We are tired of asking the government to publish the actual names, not imaginary ones. We have compiled the real list of landowners and are waiting for them to release theirs, so we can compare. If these irregularities are not addressed by next Saturday, we will move our families to Government House for them to handle our welfare,” he said.
Another landowner, Mr. Onyebuchi Ogubunka, alongside other women leaders, accused the government of “pure land grabbing,” arguing that no responsible administration would deprive citizens of farmland, their primary means of survival.
They further alleged that those compensated so far were political agents with minimal land holdings, while individuals with up to 13 plots have neither been enumerated nor compensated. The indigenes insisted that Governor Otti’s government has not demonstrated genuine concern for their welfare and demanded full disclosure of the exact land portions earmarked for the project.
