Abia Airport Project: We Welcome FGN’s Airstrip Project, But Reject Gov Alex Otti’s Land Grabbing Quest — Nsulu Landowners, by Isaac Asabor

The Village Heads of Host Communities in Nsulu, Isiala-Ngwa North LGA of Abia State rising from a meeting on Wednesday described as false narrative insinuations that they were against the proposed Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN’s airstrip project proposed to be sited in their community.

“What the people of Nsulu are fighting against is the Governor Alex Otti-led Abia State Government’s desperate, fraudulent, and forceful acquisition of Nsulu land,” said Engr. Ikechukwu Uche, Chairman of the Village Heads of Host Communities, speaking to reporters after a meeting of landowners.

Engr Uche explained that the acknowledged landowners for the proposed Abia Airport site have just met with an Abia State government team led by the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, and have come to the unmistakable conclusion that the so-called project is nothing more than a desperate, fraudulent, and forceful acquisition of Nsulu farm lands and homesteads.

According to him, “It is on record that the Abia State government under former governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu acquired land for the same Airport project, and a Certificate of Occupancy was issued to the project’s executors.”It is also recorded that the site had already passed the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), as well as all of the usual bureaucratic bottlenecks and resistance, which were fully resolved by both parties.

“During our meeting with Pastor Ajagba, Nsulu people expressed concerns about the previously acquired land and demanded explanations for why it was abruptly abandoned for a new site, also on Nsulu land. We unequivocally expressed our concerns to the Abia State government through the Chief of Staff, stating categorically that the original area had no encumbrances and was not encumbered by residential buildings, whereas the new site chosen by the Otti administration is surrounded by home settlements; however, the Abia State government has yet to address our concerns or even explain why a new site has become inevitable.”

Engr. Uche also stated that the Abia Government’s proposed ‘Abia Airport’ appears to be a private enterprise, as it includes plans for a five-star hotel, an airport, a housing estate, a school, and an air force base. As of the publication of this story. The Abia State government has not said who will build the hotel, school, or housing estate. “Significantly, we have not entered into any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which should have been the right step towards peaceful acquisition,” he said.

Engr. Uche maintained that the Gov Otti-led Abia Government has failed to provide compelling reasons for the acquisition of a new site for the project, instead choosing to engage insignificant representatives with no stake in the acquired land. He accused the Chief of Staff, Pastor Ajagba, and Pastor Okorugo Aji of misleading the Governor and called for the team’s immediate disbandment because they are not transparently representing the government.

Engr. Uche stated that the Abia State government finally decided to open a channel of communication with Nsulu host community’s stakeholders and land owners by convening a meeting on Thursday, December 9, 2024, at Umuezeukwu Nsulu, three weeks after the project was flagged off by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo. – a case of putting the cart before the horse.

According to him, “Further engagement was held on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at the office of the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Pastor Ajagba, where some resolutions were reached, including, among other things,

“- That the government should reduce the proposed acquired land area from the initial 1,800 hectares, in response to previous concerns;

“- The communities expressed concern about the project’s impact on displacement of their homes and loss of livelihood.

“- The Abia Government team agreed to collaborate with the community to address the concerns, including identifying real landowners, unbundling the airport project, and reducing the land size for acquisition if possible.

 “- The government team further assured the prompt payment of compensation and the participation of landowner communities in the development process.

“- The discussion expanded on the formation of a joint team to work together to complete the survey and identify the actual land affected and their owners.”

The landowners again accused the Ajagba-led Government Negotiations Team of bad faith, claiming that rather than returning to them on previous resolutions, the Abia Government chose to open new discussions with certain ‘Nsulu host communities stakeholders and land owners’ who have no land or stake in the acquired land.

“We, the stakeholders and landowners of the proposed Abia Airport site in Nsulu, Isiala-Ngwa North LG, hereby pledge our support for the Federal Government of Nigeria’s earlier proposal to locate an airstrip in our community, but we categorically reject Gov. Alex Otti and his agents’ attempt to forcibly evict us from our ancestral homesteads and farmlands.

The Gov Otti-led administration has failed to foster trust through their body language and actions, leaving room for potential misunderstandings and future breaches of peace and harmony in our community for their own selfish purposes.”

Besides Engr Uche, others who attended the meeting include Gabriel Echozolam, Village Head, Umuezenta Nbawsi; Chimaobi Ohaka, Village Head, Umuosu Nsulu; and Isaac Frank, Village Head. Umulenwa, Nbawsi Nsulu.

Others include: Ehilegbu Chidiadi; Charles Ozems; Iroegbu Iheanyi; Ikechukwu Obisie; Onyenkwere Obinnaya; Jaja Chinedu, and Uche Ubani.

Uwabukonye Ehumadu, Ahamefula Anaba, Ikechukwu Ochulo, Ikechukwu Ukaumunna, Osinachi Ebere, Chinazunawa Nwogu, Samuel Chinwewuba, Uzoma Okiyi, and a number of others were also present.