… as community shout down Chief Of Staff, demand to see governor
Indigenes of Asaba communities in Oshimili south local government area of Delta State took to the streets in protest against what they described as an attempt by the state government to sell their ancestral homes to individuals.
The Indigenes from Iyase and Onishe families accused the State government of using the Chairman, Taskforce on Recovery of Government Lands, Chief Frank Omare, of championing the alleged sales of their land.
They appealed to the governor to prevail on the taskforce to desist from the continuous demolition of their ancestral land, which according to them is their source of livelihood.
Addressing the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Johnson Erijo, spokesman of the group, Chiedu Jologam, said enough of the intimidation.
Hear him: “we want to appeal to the governor to please, ask with his powers the members formed to demolish our father’s land.
“This land in question is the one opposite and around Dennis Osadebay University. This particular land in question was leased out for Agriculture in 1954 and that particular lease agreement expired in 2004.
“And we have been magnanimous enough to give the University a very big expanse of land which they have failed to develop.
“Yet they are intruding in the ones that belongs to our fathers. Where we live and farm with our fathers and where we get our food.
“We want to appeal to the governor to please tell them to desist from that particular portion of land opposite and around Dennis Osadebay University.
“The reason we are here is the intimidation that we are no longer comfortable with. We were told by the chairman of the demolition Committee, Frank Omare, here in Unity Hall that they are the second god”.
He wonder why government official would take laws into their hands where a democratic certain, it is a government by the people, for the people and of the people.
“I want to say, in a democratic system of government, government is for the people, by the people and for the people. We elected for the government officials and they are there to represent us.
“The land in question is being sold now by the university and their cohorts. They are selling our lands, they are using our land. What kind of intimidation is that? He queried.
Continuing, he said: “the cowardice is enough, we are no longer cowards and we are not touts. All these places were acquired by government.
“But what did we see, government acquire lands for public use but they have shared and sold our lands among themselves. All these lands belongs to Onishe and Iyase families.
“Another is Ibori Gulf, I don’t know what they do in Ibori Gulf but it was also acquired and taken from us by force. How long shall we continue to sit and look them take our lands by force?
“We no longer have where to stay, we now fugitives in our own father land. What kind of oppression is that? We know that government have power over lands but you don’t acquire to sell or lease the land”.
He said the land remains dear to them, saying that they would like to reclaim the land after the lease period has expired 20 years ago, since 2004 to be precise.
He said: “we are equally pleading with the Commissioner of police because Frank Omare also said they will deal with us with the armed forces because they are the government.
“The armed forces they are met to protect and guide the people are now used against the people. The Commissioner of police, they will soon call you to come and kill us.
“We are ready and our children are not here, if you kill us our children will rise and know that you killed us. The soldiers if you kill us, our children will rise and they will also know that you killed us, please, enough is enough”, he said.
Meanwhile, the State Government, Tuesday, issued demolition notice to illegal occupiers of government lands, particularly Dennis Osadebay University lands in Asaba.
The Chairman, Taskforce on Recovery of Government Lands, Chief Frank Omare, gave the demolition notice during an inspection of the affected lands in Asaba, the state capital.
Chief Omare, who was flanked by members of the committee, warned that government would no longer tolerate illegal structures built on government lands by land speculators.
Areas visited by the Committee include 74 Road, Musa Camp and Dennis Osadebay University, Anwai-Asaba.
Chief Omare stressed that, as a responsible administration, the state government had given enough notice to the illegal developers and warned that those who have valuable items in their houses should remove them before the demolition exercise begins.
He said that the committee had carried out enough enlightenment to the affected land speculators to stop deceiving investors to acquire lands belonging to the state government.
The Chairman appealed to investors to make appropriate enquiries before buying any land, warning that ignorance was not an excuse.
“We have given them adequate time and they know that where they have built is government land. None of these developers has Certificate of Occupancy (Cof O).
“This exercise will also be carried out wherever government lands have been encroached on across the 25 local government areas of the state,” Omare said.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Ben Oghojafor debunked accusations of the university selling land to developers at Musa Camp and pledged the institution’s support for the efforts of the Committee to recover its land.
He stressed, “I have no reason, either of poverty or otherwise, induced, compelled and encouraged, to sell one meter of land belonging to Dennis Osadebay University.
“Mr Chairman, you have the full support of the university to demolish any property within the coordinates of the approved land for Dennis Osadebay University.”
The Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr. Erijo, who received them, thanked them for the peaceful protest, assuring that their request would be channelled to the Governor for prompt action.
He said government was committed to ensuring that illegal acquisition of land was not tolerated, in addition to ensuring that communities had access to their legitimate land.
Earlier, the protesters shouted down the Chief of Staff, saying they needed to see the governor whom they voted for.
They said: “we want to see the governor”, “are you the governor”? “The governor must come out”, “we need our Governor”, “the person we voted for”, “no second term waiting”, they said.
