Tag: Abia Airport

A community in Nsulu,  Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State, Umuezeukwu, has urged Governor Alex Otti to ensure an equitable resolution of the Airport project dispute.

They fear they would be dispossessed of their ancestral land forever.

Landowners expressed deep concerns that the current land allocation for the project will not only displace them from their ancestral homes and farmlands but also jeopardise the community’s existence.

According to them, the state government has yet to clarify the amount of land allocated for the airport.

They are demanding a minimum 500-meter buffer zone between the airport perimeter and their homes, which they claim has been consistently ignored, resulting in some homes and farmlands falling within the airport’s boundaries.

A community leader, Chief Uche Ubani, said the project could have far-reaching consequences.

“We are facing a stark reality. Our ancestral lands, which have supported generations, are being taken away.

“Our children will have no place to build homes or farms, and, tragically, we may not even have a place to bury our dead.”

The community acknowledges previous land size reductions for the airport project, noting that these adjustments benefited other communities such as Agburuike, Umuogu, Ikputu, and parts of Umuosu and Umuode.

Umuezeukwu residents claim they have been overlooked, prompting an urgent request for assistance.

“We request that the government implements 500-metre setback from our homes. We are not asking for much, just enough to ensure our community’s future,” Ubani said.

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President-General of Umuezeukwu, Ebere Adieze, denied that he had previously approved the project as is.

He lamented alleged harassment and intimidation against the community for simply seeking dialogue.

“It is even more concerning that their desperation has led them to tell the Federal High Court in Abuja that I had a meeting with the Attorney General of Abia State on April 24, 2025, where I accepted what they were doing well and discredited the court action.

“All of those statements are false. I have never met with anyone at all.”

Adieze clarified that their concerns go well beyond compensation.

“The issue is not compensation, it is about our survival and providing us with alternative sources of income, as we are all agrarians in this village.

“What we saw in Umuezukwu was that instead of 500 metres, our houses and farmlands were now inside the airport.

“Our children and future generations will no longer have a place to build homes or live.

“If all of the lands are taken in this quantum, I am concerned that our lives will be jeopardised. We might not have a place to bury our dead.”

The community claims that the government is now acquiring additional land for an airport access road, which they claim was not originally planned.

“We invited the government, but they are not listening. The same government has gone through the back of our village to mark another area for the construction of an airport access road, which was not part of the original plan for the proposed airport,” Adieze added.

The emotional toll on residents is clear. Victoria Ugochukwu, a widow, expressed her despair.

“I am a widow. My husband’s land is completed. We do not even have a place to bury the dead. We agreed to everything, but they are intimidating and attempting to arrest our youths.”

Favour Uche, another resident, expressed similar concerns about homelessness and displacement.

Community leaders, Chidiadi Ehilegbu and Chijioke Orji, reiterated the need for a roundtable discussion and further land reduction.

“We are not talking about compensation.

“The government is supposed to serve the people, and as a community, we have some rights as well. We are demanding further reductions and a roundtable discussion with you.

“They should come sightseeing to back up what we are saying. They are meeting with the wrong people. Come reduce the size of the land.

“Okpulor should provide us with 500 metres, as required. You cannot come and start tracing people’s land without first informing the landowners.

“They are acquiring additional land for the access road, which was not originally planned for the airport,” Orji added.

The community accused security personnel of intimidating residents and criticises the government for failing to respond to their numerous letters.

They hope Governor Otti will visit Umuezeukwu and see the situation firsthand.

“We appeal to Governor Otti to personally visit and assess our situation,” Ubani said.

“We believe his aides are misinforming him about the project’s impact.

“We need him to see for himself the devastating impact this project is having on our community and to assist us in finding a solution that will allow us to survive and thrive.”

The Abia Airport project, which is intended to bring economic growth and development to the state, is at a critical juncture.

Umuezeukwu’s plea emphasises the importance of a more inclusive and considerate approach, one that balances progress with community identity and citizen well-being.

The coming weeks will be critical in determining whether Governor Otti will heed their call and propose a solution that addresses their concerns while also securing Umuezeukwu’s future.

Landowners in Nsulu in Isialangwa North Local Government Area of Abia State have raised the alarm over the clearing of the access road to the runway of the proposed Abia Airport despite a court order.

An Abia State High Court in Okpuala Ngwa had ordered the state government to stay further action on its plan to seize over 1,025 hectares of land belonging to some Nsulu communities pending the hearing and determination of their suit.

Justice Enyinnaya Okezie made the order last December 20 in a suit by the communities’ representatives.

But the landowners said the government had moved bulldozers to the site.

They called on Nigerians and people of goodwill to prevail on the state authorities to subject themselves to the rule of law.

Of more concern to the communities is that no agreement has been reached on the actual land size being taken.

Besides, they said technical details of the impact on the people’s health and survival by way of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) have not been drawn up. the Nsulu Stakeholders Forum (NSF), warned that investors would not come to a state where the government shows total disregard for a court order.

Its convener, Mazi Chigoram, said: “If the Otti government shows total disregard and disrespect to such an order, what would a private investor feel?

“Nobody wants to do business in a place where court rulings have no value.

“We call on the Abia State government to respect the stay order granted by its court in respect of the proposed Nsulu land acquisition.

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“The airport project is not running away. We know it is a project approved by the Tinubu administration.

“Otti should not make the Federal Government look bad for approving the airport for us because by going ahead with any land clearing, he is sending a terrible signal to people that he has no regard for court orders.

“We must await the outcome of the matter in court. That is what the rule of law dictates.”

Also, a community elder said: “We have no quarrel with the Otti administration on the Airport project. We have an issue with the quantum of land being acquired.

“We also have an issue with the lack of transparency,  the secrecy of not willing to tell landowners the amount of their land that is being taken over by the government.”