Land Owners in Nsulu Reject Proposed Abia Airport

Following the proposed siting of an airport in some parts of Nsulu in Isiala-Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State, eight communities on whose ancestral lands the airport project is to be sited have kicked against it.

The communities, which carried out a protest against the project on Saturday, November 30, 2024, cited likely destruction of their farmlands and unfair treatment by successive administrations in the State as reason for their angst.

The protest which took place in Umuezenta, Umuomaunta Nbawsi Nsulu involved women, men and youths from the various communities, who came out in large numbers with cassava leaves among others, singing war songs and asking the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to rescind his decision of plotting to use any land under Nsulu for the airport.

Kristina Reports gathered that even the presence of the armed security operatives drawn from the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Nigeria Police Force, could not prevent them from ventilating their resentment against the proposed airport project, which many analysts believe would make Abia join the league of States that boast of airports.

Speaking during the protest, the Village Head of Umuezenta, Ukaumunna Echezolam corroborated the views of the angry women, men and youth, saying that the Abia State Government met the wrong people before deciding to site the airport in Nsulu.

He revealed that even though the right persons were not met ab initio, it would still not appease them because they have weighed the pros and cons, stressing that it means forfeiting their ancestral lands and only source of livelihood.

Echezolam informed that this is not the first time the State Government is inviting youth belonging to their political party for discussions, emphasizing that there is no way youths can have a say in issues that concern land, when their fathers are very much alive, adding that it was wrong for the government to have acted in that direction.

He decried the fact that there have never been any dividends of democracy right from the previous administration till now despite that the current Chief of Staff to Governor, Caleb Ajagba’s maternal home is Umuezenta Nsulu, the communities have remained underdeveloped.

He noted that as an agrarian community, they cannot afford to forfeit their lands meant for agricultural activities, stressing that it is against the various admonitions of the federal and state governments telling people to pick up Agriculture.

Speaking on whether the community will reverse its decision if the right persons from the community are met in this regard, Echezolam reiterated that there is no compromise, insisting that the proposed airport will not automatically place food on their tables.

He also pointed out that farming has sustained them for years, frowning at a situation where the State Government will suddenly decide to carry out a project the community opposes.

Echezolam also stated that Nsulu communities had in the past given lands to the Abia State Government, citing the Nsulu Games Village, Ntigha Inland Dry Port (IDP) project in Isiala-Ngwa North LGA, among others, regretting that they were yet to derive any benefits giving out massive acres of their lands for the above mentioned projects.

He specifically called on Governor Alex Otti, to relegate to the background, the idea of using any land belonging to the Nsulu Communities for construction of airport, saying that in places and states where airports are situated, they have not seen much development or progress made by these communities.

On their part, indigenes of the protesting Nsulu Communities, including Best-Hope Nduaguibe, among others, opposed the siting of the airport in their community.

They said till date, the communities that make up Nsulu have not been treated fairly in the area of dividends of democracy.

They wondered if they are not part of Abia State, adding that the communities cannot give away the ancestral lands bequeathed to them by their forefathers just as they insisted that they are farmers and those lands the government wants to take away from them, is very dear to them.

Others who pleaded anonymity asked the Governor Alex Otti led administration in Abia to look elsewhere for the project, insisting that they were tired of giving out their lands, when poor infrastructure, including poor road network continue to be a problem confronting them.

The Abia State Government was yet to make a statement on the development, just as efforts by Kristina Reports to get the reaction of the Chief of Staff to the Abia State Governor, Caleb Ajagba has proved unsuccessful as he declined audience with newsmen.