RSG Develops Land, After Shanties’ Demolition

Construction work has began on some lands where illegal structures and shanties were demolished by the Rivers State government.

According to The Tide correspondent who went round some of the sites, including observatory Christmas village water front in Eagle Island area of Port Harcourt, some of the land spaces acquired by the state government after the demolition of exercise have been fenced.

Meanwhile, some of the occupants of the so-called illegal shanties were sighted by our correspondent hanging around block houses.

It could be recalled that the Surveyor General of the state, Mr Joel Elenwa had said about 70 per cent of the demolished site have been surveyed and the plans forwarded to the state government for construction to begin.

Rivers State government had in July, this year vowed to rid the state of criminal activities by demolishing suspected criminal hideouts.

However, when The Tide spoke with some of the displaced persons who claimed to be law abiding citizens, they explained that the government action was vindictive.

According to one of them who gave his name as Mr Solomon Jacob, most of the shanties were built with the consent of the real land owners.

He explained that some of the landlords due to the economic situation in the country could not afford to build block houses for the moment.

In the interim, he continued there was an understanding between them and the landlords to put up makeshift structures, pending when the economy improves to enable such landlords erect their own permanent houses.

Another displaced person, a housewife of four children, Mrs Juliet Ufot from Akwa Ibom State who also narrated her ordeal told The Tide that the government should have cross-checked properly before embarking on the exercise.

According to her, her husband is a casual worker in one of the oil servicing companies in the state that is being owed for a long time.

She said they plan to relocate to their home state, pending when her husband would be paid his backlog of salary arears.