•Want Gov Udom Emmanuel to intervene

By Chioma Onuegbu, Uyo

The happiness of the people of Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State knew no bounds when Governor Udom Emmanuel on July 13, 2015 performed the ground breaking of  an Armored Car Personnel Carrier Plant to be managed by an Israeli Company,  Mimshac Merkavin Transportation Technologies.

The Itu LGA land

However, the issue of non- payment of compensation to land owners for 15 hectares out of the 20 hectares acquired by the state government for the project is currently generating heat among the people of the area.

Vanguard Metro, VM, gathered that the acquired 20 hectares of land belonged to different individual families from the three villages of Ekim Itam, Ikot Ukap and Obong Itam. It was gathered that the state government has only paid compensation for acquiring 5.3 hectares which it initially negotiated for and later returned for additional 15 hecatres which it reportedly acquired without the knowledge and proper negotiation with the owners of the land.

VM learnt that the additional 15 hectares belonged to different families of Ekim Itam and Obong Itam communities. The families who own this additional 15 hectares have now risen to ask why government representatives did not consult them the way they did with owners of the 5.3 hectares before acquiring it.

The aggrieved land owners are also seeking explanation on why the state government would advertise for 20 hectares of land and then decided to negotiate and pay compensation for only 5.3 hectares and to come back later for another 15hectares claiming that it had paid already compensation for it.

Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved families of Obong Itam, Mr. George Ukwo said that they were not going to fight government, rather that they were trying to draw the attention of the Governor to the matter, while appreciating the state chief executive for bringing such a laudable project to their community and assured him that they would cooperate by allowing the foreign contractors to handle the project in peace.

Ukwo shed more light on the land issue saying: “We believe that the Governor must have been wrongly informed about the situation of things. And the situation is that the three communities of Obong Itam, Ekim and Ikot Ukam have very large hectares of land and government now came and negotiated that it wanted to acquire the first part which is 5.3 hectares. So when government representatives came, they told the people that owned that portion of land to count the economic crops on the land so as to compensate them.

“After that they compensated the people that owned the 5.3 hectares of land. But with regard to the other section of the land, nobody in the two villages that owned it has collected one naira. In fact, it was on the day of the ground breaking that we noticed a group of surveyors enter into the section of land and before we knew what was happening they started clearing the whole area and made another expansion which was about 15 hectares.

“Initially we thought that they were just demarcating the land and will come back to meet us for the additional portion of land. We waited patiently but the next thing we saw was that they had cleared the whole land and we now asked why? But no answer was given to us. But we later heard that the government officials said that they had already paid compensation for the whole land and that they advertised for 20 hectares.

“Personally I did not see the advertorial but some of our brothers said they saw it. But we told them that there is a difference between advertising for 20 hectares and then coming to acquire 5.3 hecatres where they actually put beacon stone. I want to clearly state that the 5.3 hectares is never under contention because the owners were paid compensation. The problem now is the additional 15 hectares owned by Ekim and Obong communities that government on their own added to the 5.3 hectares.”

Explaining further, he said: “Now these families that the 15 hectares of land belongs to just want that little compensation to be paid them. So we appeal to the Governor to come in so as to settle this issue and ensure the people are adequately paid compensation due to them. Also I want to appeal to the foreign contractor handling this project to feel free and comfortable in our community. And to the host communities, I appeal that you be patient with the government and with us their leaders working on their behalf. We know that the truth over this matter will surely come out soon.”

Mr. Edet Akpan, one of the land owners said they are not satisfied with the wrong approach adopted in acquiring it and advised that government should come and make sure due process was used in acquiring the land. “We are simply saying this is a wrong approach to acquiring land. So government should come and make sure the right thing is done. This is not the first community that government has acquired land for project execution in this community. There is existing law in this country that states how land should be acquired and how compensation should be paid adequately to owners of acquired lands”.

On his part, a member of the committee set up to investigate and give recommendations regarding the land from Ekim Itam, Mr. Samuel Uya, demanded that there must be explanation over what transpired in the land negotiation and wondered why government should pay compensation for only 5.3 hectares of land it acquired and went ahead to advertise for 20 hectares in the papers only to return to acquire more portion of land without the knowledge of the community.

A human rights Group, Community Policing Partners for Justice, Security and Democratic Reforms COMPPART in a letter by its Executive Director Mr. Saviour Akpan advised the governor to ensure his reputation and the image of the state were not dragged in the mud  following shameful actions of some disgruntled elements working under his government by taking appropriate action to ensure that justice was done over the matter.