Landlords Laud RSG Over Planned Compensation

The Rivers State Govern
ment has been lauded over plans to fully compensate  landlords of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority (GPCDA).
Speaking with newsmen  in Port Harcourt Monday, a Community leader, Chief Peter Imo, said it was a welcomed development.
He said  it was painful for landlords to go almost empty-handed after the state government had acquired their land for development purposes.
Imo, who is the Nye Chi Ali,Omuchi, Igwuruta in Ikwerre local government area, noted that the moves by the authority has so far  proved its determination to  restore the  lost glory of the state.
According to  him, no  government would have claimed  to be of the people while its citizens are wallowing in poverty, saying that  Wike meant well for the people.
He also called on the agency to carry out an appropriate census of the people  as to ascertain those  whose lands were actually  acquired  to avoid any form of cheating and deprivation of genuine landlords.
The community leader, regretted that the immediate past administration in the state ventured into  the area and  compulsorily acquired their land without fully compensating  the said affected persons.
He explained  that the lands now housing  GPCDA was the  only source of income for the people as it served as farm land, adding that the people source  of livelihood should be  improved upon in a bid to advert hunger and poverty.
Also speaking, Comrade Eko Okpara, said the compensation  should  be in line with  what is currently  obtainable  in other  areas where compensation had been paid.
He narrated  that Ikwerre people depend on their land for agricultural purposes in addition to  trading and business, and  stressed that forceful acquisition of their  land would deprive them of their source of survival.
Okpara, who is also the community’s scribe, called on the state government  to form a committee to oversee the compensation while advising that interest parties should not  be part of the committee.
It would  be recalled that the state government through the sole Administrator of GPPCDA, Ambassador  Desmond Akawor, promised to pay full compensation  to the landlords of the authority as against the N350,000 per plot paid  them  by the past administration.