BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
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Scores of indigenes of Ikem, headquarters of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State on Monday, marched to the streets of the town to protest the plan of converting parts of the council secretariat premises into a housing estate by the council administration.
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The protesters who swopped on the council headquarters also went to the affected area chatting songs and made “stay-away native marks” on the proposed premises.
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Some of the placards with inscriptions resd: “Develop our land for public interest not private interest,” “Bring more development, not selling of our land,” “This land belongs to our people,” and many more.
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The traditional rulers of Ikem-Uno community and Chairman of Isi-Uzo Traditional Rulers council, HRH Igwe Okechukwu Ogbodo told newsmen that he had engaged the Council Chairman, Obeagu, severally on the matter but that he was evasive until the community got information that he had started selling the land to people they don’t know.
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Igwen Ogbodo said: “My people are seeking for their right, it’s not a violent or aggressive protest. It was not a riot. The thing is that there was condition with which the land was given and now we understand that the council chairman cleared the remaining portion of that land for housing estate and he did notify the community but I went and met him and he said he will call us and we waited.
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“What we now learnt is that the land has been advertised for sale, and he is not the first local government chairman. If the previous chairmen had sold that portion that he cleared he wouldn’t have met any other portion of the council Secretariat. We went for a peaceful protest to show our disapproval. Our community said they want development and not selling of the land.
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“The community had a designated land for housing estate, along Ikem-Nkwo road, which was was given to the federal government and it’s still there. There were pilot houses there and so if local government wants, it can go there, they can use it.”
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Youths and women leaders of the community who took part in the protest made similar statements and urged the local government council not to continue with the project because they will resist it since was not meant for such purpose clause.
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The community said that it gave out the land to Isi-Uzo county council in 1974 for the purpose clause of local government administration and not for private residences.
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In his reaction, the council chairman, Obeagu, said: “I told the traditional ruler that we are going to meet but right now we are busy with crucial assignments. They told me that the council encroached in the community land and I told them that we have a survey plan dates 1972 and they said there was another one. But we discovered that community has encouraged in the local government land. I asked them to bring their own documents.
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“Yes, we made advertisments that we are developing the land. I told them that they are looking for trouble because the land in question was given to the local government. So which community land are we selling, or do you come and tell us what to do with local government land? If they had given land to the state or federal government to do an estate, how does it concern us at the local government?
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“Why should they come into the local government land now and say it’s their community land and that we are selling it? If we encroached on the community land let them come and we correct the encroachment but we traced the beacons of the local government land and that was where our clearing stopped.”.
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The local government boss Obeagu, said that the land no longer belong to the community since it was given out to the government, noting however, that the council has not exhausted its engagement with the community on the matter.
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