NIPP: Community Warns Against Illegal Land Acquisition

The people of Lekwesi Community  in Abia State have warned that they would resist plans to demolish the area for construction of an electricity transmission line by the Federal Government without being paid adequate compensation.

The people said that executing the project would warrant relocation of the entire community which would make them lose their crops, farmlands, economic trees and residential houses.

Lekwesi, a largely agrarian community in Umunneochi local government area, expressed fears that contactors handling the project were eager to go ahead with the construction of a 330 KVA High Tension Electricity Transmission Line from Ikot Ekpene to Ugwaji which passes through the community when the community has not been paid adequate compensation to enable her people to relocate to a new settlement.

The people are, therefore, appealing to the federal government to pay them adequate compensation for their sacrifice before proceeding with the project or choose alternative route for the project.

Counsel to the community, Barrister Victor Mbanaso in a two-page petition on behalf of the community addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation,noted that  the community regretted that the federal government wants to carry on with execution of the project which would necessitate the relocation of the residents and destruction of their economic base without giving adequate consideration to the plight of the people. The petition was dated on August 18, 2011 and copied to Senator Uche Chukwumerije representing Abia North Senatorial District.

According to the petition, the people received from the Federal Government, paltry sums ranging between N3,000 and N80, 000 as compensation for their crops only, representing just about 20 per cent of the amount needed to relocate their farmlands, adding that nothing was paid for their houses. The community said it was willing to refund the money it has received as compensation.

The petition stated that the people do not know the criteria used for calculating the compensation and that the community has no  access to documents pertaining to the payment compensation.

Mbanaso explained that the community has already gone to court to restrain the Federal Government and Power Holding Company of Nigeria PLC from destroying their crops, farmlands and buildings pending when they are paid just and adequate compensation.

“It is disheartening, Sir, to discover that despite the pendency of the suit and a motion for interlocutory injunction, the Federal Government, through its agencies are parading our client’s community in preparation for destroying our client’s crops, farmlands and residential houses in execution of the project,” Mbanso wrote.

Boni Okoro, Umuahia