Anambra airport: Creditors are after my life, 48- year old widow cries out
A 48-year-old widow, Eucharia Umeh, from Omogho in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, has raised the alarm over what she described as unquantifiable loss she has incurred
A 48-year-old widow, Eucharia Umeh, from Omogho in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, has raised the alarm over what she described as unquantifiable loss she has incurred in the ongoing demolition by developers working on the second airport and industrial park project in the area.
She said the exercise, which affected her farmland, led to the loss of her 55 chains of rice, 20 plots of yam valued chain, 60 plots of cassava, economic trees and others valued at about N15 million.
Speaking to reporters, Umeh, who was one of several others affected by the exercise, said the most painful aspect of her tragedy was the loan she took for her farm, which she was yet to repay, resulting in threats by her debtors.
She said she was not averse to developmental projects in her community, calling for urgent intervention by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
She said: “My entire household has been devastated. Even where my son farmed was affected. Those I took loans from for the farming are after my life.
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“I would have harvested the crops if I was given a notice. Governor Soludo, please help us. We are not against development or any project you want to site in our town. All we want is for the right thing to be done.”
Another victim, Nonso Uchedike, said he lost over N10 million worth of agricultural produce, urging the governor to save them from hunger and homelessness caused by the developers.
Uchedike, who accused the developers of encroaching on their land measuring over 4,000 hectares and demolishing economic trees and other agricultural produce worth millions of naira without prior notice, regretted that more encroachment could force some of them to resort to arming themselves.
Chairman of Iwolo village, Somadina Umeh, said they were surprised when the contractors and state government officials came to their farmland with about 22 tractors on January 8 and 9, destroying agricultural produce, economic trees and other properties, without prior notifications.
Umeh said: “On inquiries, the officials said they came from the Ministry of Works on a mission to clear the place for the proposed new Anambra State Airport at Ndikelionwu.
“We told them to stop work because the land belongs to Omogho and we were not given prior notice that would have enable us to harvest our produce and evacuate other necessary things before the demolition.
“But they remained adamant and continued encroaching on our homes and farmlands.
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“We demanded a meeting with them, but when they came, they refused to speak to us on camera for documentation. We demanded to see the boundary for the airport, they could not show us.
“We reject this because if they continue, most of our homes will be levelled as well, leaving many homeless. We also remember that the governor earlier debunked the planned airport. This is why we are confused and calling on the governor to intervene.
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“We are pleading with the governor to schedule a meeting with us so we can discuss the modalities for citing the project, including clarifying the ownership of the land, establishment of the boundaries and hectares needed and payment of adequate compensation to those whose properties, agricultural produce, economic trees and others were demolished.”
Traditional Ruler of Omogho, Igwe Raphael Offor, admitted siting of the project in his domain. He, however, said the community was duly informed by the governor of where the project would be sited, which they agreed to.
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He assured of plans to compensate affected persons as soon as the contractors establish boundary for the project.
“This will enable easy compilation of names of the individuals, whose farms or houses were demolished in the project,” he said.
Commissioner for Works, Ifeanyi Okoma, denied knowledge of his ministry’s destruction of agricultural produce and other properties or development of airport city at Umunaba and Iwolo, Omogho community.
But Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, said the project had not been awarded, adding that he was unaware if work had begun anywhere to that effect.
