Protesters stall ground breaking ceremony of Eagles Hill Estate in Awka

For one week, youths from Amikwo and Agulu communities in the Awka capital territory, Anambra State stalled ground breaking ceremony of Eagles Hill Estate, Awka, jointly organized by the Anambra State government and Topwide Ventures, a private estate developer.
            The angry youths, brandishing placards of different inscriptions depicting their annoyance, pitched tents across the 61 hectres of land proposed for the estate, insisting that unless the state government and the Topwide Ventures stopped work at the site and handed their lands over to them, they would not leave the area.
            Probably sensing danger, neither the personnel of the state government nor that of the private developer showed up for the ground breaking ceremony proposed for yesterday, June 28; as over 3,000 people from the community, including youths, elderly men and women occupied the contentious land and refused to leave.
            Chief E.C Umerah, a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, who is also the chairman of Ndichie of the Agulu Awka community, said that the land under contention was jointly given to the Anambra State government during Chinwoke Mbadinuju era, by the Amikwo and Agulu communities, who own the land, for the purpose of building a Gulf Course, which they believed was of over-riding public interest; adding that, “throughout Mbadinuju regime, the proposed Gulf Course was not built.
            “Recently, we learnt that the land has been handed over to a private developer, the Topwide Ventures, for the purpose of building an estate, but we said no. An estate is a private venture. It is not for the overriding interest of our people. If the state government cannot build what we agreed, for which reason we gave them the land, they should give the land over to us.
            “The action of the state government in transferring our land to a private developer is contrary to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, because, if they cannot accomplish the purpose for which the land was let, they should return it to us.
“See what government has decided to do; instead of coming here to address our agitation, government have decided to send armed policemen, the army and the civil defence to intimidate us”, he said.
            In their own reactions, youth leaders in the community, Okwy Akabogu and Ndu Chris Nwanna, said that the land was the only virgin land left for the Amikwo and Agulu communities, and that since the state government could not build the project for which the land was given, the community had no other option than to take their land back.
            They regretted that youths from the community, due to lack of space, went to other neighbouring towns to buy lands for the purpose of building their houses; and wondered why their land would be given to an individual without due compensation.
            When contacted, the traditional ruler of the community, Obi Gibson Nwosu, Eze Uzu of Awka, said that he hail from Amikwo, one of the communities that owned the land, and that he was not consulted by either the state government or the private developer before commencing project different from the one for which the land was donated. He added that the community was not for any other negotiation concerning the 61 hecters of land than to take it back.
            As at the time of filing this report, about 3,000 people from the two communities still occupied their tents pitched round about the piece of land; while armed policemen, the army and the civil defence kept watch over them.
            All efforts made to get the State Commissioner of Land,   or any other personnel of the state government to comment on happening were unsuccessful.  
           
Photo depiction