Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah,
The Enugu State Authorities has criticized claims of demolition and forcible eviction of residents of Nchatancha Nike, one of many many communities affected by the continued building of New Enugu Metropolis, a wise metropolis launched by Governor Peter in October final 12 months Mbah was flagged off.
It blamed the protests and disturbances, together with Monday's assault on a bulldozer on the building web site, on land grabbers in the neighborhood, who’re promoting components of the already acquired and gazetted lands to unsuspected consumers, and mentioned some perpetrators have already have been within the security internet. .
Though the affected communities had been notified years in the past when land acquisitions started by earlier governments, the mega venture was approached with a human face by Governor Peter Mbah's administration, making certain that compensation and correct relocation occurred earlier than any demolition occurred.
The Secretary to the Enugu State Authorities, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, made the clarifications on Monday throughout a web site go to with journalists at Nchatancha Nike the place a bulldozer was attacked, vowing that the federal government wouldn’t be deterred in its dedication to sort out the primary part of the brand new coverage. Metropolis in 24 months, as already agreed in October with the China Communication Building Firm (CCCC).
He mentioned the governor, who had already held a collection of discussions and supported the communities going ahead and throughout the course of the venture, had directed the contractors to begin building work across the clock.
Addressing journalists on the location, Onyia defined: “What we’ve got found is that some members of the group, upon noticing how optimistic the governor is in constructing this new city in Enugu, have began promoting of the lands to unsuspecting people, figuring out that these consumers, not them, will now need to take care of the federal government.
“However I believe we have to take a step again and reply the questions on when this course of began. The primary takeover course of began lengthy earlier than this administration got here. A few years in the past, individuals have been warned {that a} day like this could come when a authorities would resolve that now could be the time to make good on the promise to construct a brand new metropolis.
“However the governor determined that the very first thing that will occur could be that the primary 1,000 hectares could be developed. There aren’t any homes right here, as you possibly can see. A few of the marked objects you noticed on the entrance belong to federal businesses.
“To make sure that nobody was left with out ample compensation, the Governor constituted the Inter-Ministerial Committee, of which I chair. We’ve got additionally made an announcement. Thus far nobody has submitted something as a result of we're not even on the stage the place we're going to demolish something. For those who go searching you, all you see are farmlands. There is no such thing as a constructing right here, only a bush.”
“As well as, we’ve got additionally informed those that have lively agricultural lands in these areas to please ship us a declare based mostly on clear calculations. We’ve got not acquired any info but.
“So there is no such thing as a clear justification for escalating protest or attacking machines right here. We’ve got a course of that we wish to handle.”
On the correct relocation of the affected Nchatancha group, he mentioned: “The plan to relocate the affected group was inbuilt by the present governor as a result of it was not initially constructed into the method as a result of they have been knowledgeable upfront of their relocation.
“So we’ve got plans to compensate them and we’ve got additionally made plans to relocate them to an space with the appropriate kind of infrastructure. There shall be a wise college there, a fundamental well being care facility, and they’re already constructing the roads round it. Their agricultural lands have additionally been included within the relocation plans.
“That's why we don't do that with no human coronary heart. The governor is the daddy of the state and he’s a essential thinker. This stuff have been thought by way of by his technical crew, with him because the chief,” he acknowledged.
Onyia, nevertheless, cautioned property consumers to do their due diligence lest they be defrauded by individuals promoting the identical land acquired and gazetted by the federal government way back.
Whereas saying the venture in October, Governor Mbah mentioned New Enugu Metropolis would collaborate with Dubai, Singapore and different main cities on the earth.
“That is going to create an actual platform as a result of on this metropolis we’re going to have a devoted vitality venture, a devoted energy plant, we’re going to have a central sewage system, we’re going to have all the general public utilities centralized. and will probably be supplied by the federal government.
“We get entry to high-speed web. On this New Metropolis, there’s nearly nothing you discover in a contemporary good metropolis that you just received't discover right here,” he mentioned.
