By innocent onyeukwu
The raging war between the Imo State Government and Owerri indigenes over unresolved land matters took a different turn last week when the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Uche Nwosu made startling revelations that the Okorocha Administration has compensated Owerri indigenes whose lands were acquired.
Nwosu who stormed Trumpeta corporate headquarters, Owerri, said his ministry has paid some compensation to Owerri indigenes on Okohia, Industrial Layout and other lands.
He said “since I became Commissioner of Lands and Urban Development, I have paid compensations. The land at Okohia was acquired since Mbakwe Administration; I was the Commissioner that paid compensation. The same for Industrial Layout which was acquired by the first military administration in Imo state, we paid the land owners compensation”.
On the Area k land dispute that has widened the gap of enermity between the state government and Amawom Community, he said before the inception of the present Administration, the Land at Area K was allocated to some persons and this fueled a misunderstanding between the Amawom people and the Director of Lands.
“I intervened in that matter and we proposed to them to take 20% of the land and take payment for the remainder of the land. We also promised them other incentives, but they refused and went ahead to obstruct plans to develop their Land for their economic benefit” Uche declared.
He regretted that the people of Owerre Nchi-Ise have continuously decided to obstruct government’s developmental plans, urging them to have a rethink and support Government’s initiatives.
“There is no gain in fighting government, disrupting government’s plans to develop the area” the Commissioner said.
Nwosu alluded that the state Government decided to remain calm when Amawom people provoked them because of the humaneand humble disposition of the state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
“Okorocha has at all times shown humility, but his humility should not be taken for granted”, he said.
In reaction to Nwosu’s claims, the Amawom Renaissance Group, a group defending Govt’s illegal acquisition of Owerri lands, said Commissioner Nwosu’s claims are false, baseless and unfounded.
Spokesman of the group and former Owerri Municipal Council boss, Ebere MacDonald, said the 20% Land compensation proposed by the state government was a systemic pattern to collect their land through the backdoor and insisted that it is unacceptable to them.
Ebere wondered whom the state government paid compensation to, stating that in the case of Area K, the government failed to discuss with the Amawom Welfare Association (AWA), which is the body representing the interests of Amawom people on Area K. He called on the Okorocha Administration to do the right thing adding that his people have been living in dehumanizing conditions.
