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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Youths Threaten To Sell Off Anambra Int’l Airport Land

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From Chuks Collins, Awka
 No fewer than 2000 youths of Oba, Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra state origin, Thursday threatened to sell off the land where the abandoned Anambra International Airport was located
According to them, their grouse was  that the state government had refused to develop the place for a long time, thereby depriving them the use of the land for farming and allied activities.
The site which was acquired during the second republic by the government of the old Anambra state government, comprising the present Enugu, Anambra and part of Ebonyi states, had failed to take off due to lack of funds and political will, by successive governments.
Commercial activities were disrupted in Oba, Thursday following the violent protest by the community youths over the controversy surrounding the sale, acquisition and development of the facility.
The demonstration took the youths to the palace of the traditional ruler of Oba, Igwe Peter Ezenwa, who enjoined them to remain calm.
The monarch had called a meeting of  Oba youths following the disagreement within their ranks over what to do with the abandoned site, after so long.
 A source noted that the state government had returned 25 percent of the 580 hectares of the acquired land to their original owners in the community.
The youth opposed the stance of the traditional ruler and the elders of the community, who were prevailing on them to stop selling the land as it had not been fully released by the state government to the community, the youth took to the street, chanting anti- government songs.
The angry youth wondered why they were being restricted especially as high profile organizations have been showing interest in developing the land.
They blocked the Onitsha/Nnewi Old highway and disrupted vehicular and human movement in the area for more than four hours.
The Leaders of the youths, Onyeka Eneda, Chairman of Umuagu-Umuogali Welfare Association and Udoka Uzuchukwu (Chairman of Okpuno Umuogali Youths Welfare association), said they would not accept any attempt to prevent the development that was coming to them through the Shoe Dealers association which had assured  them of acquiring the site and  developing it.
Igwe Ezenwa in a reaction told reporters  that the youths of the town mostly from the Oba airport land owners part of the community had “invaded the land measuring about 580 hectares, selling it at a giveaway price without waiting for the Anambra State Government which promised to return 25% of the land to the community”.
He said since the land had not been returned to the community, it would be an act of brigandage and lawlessness for anybody to go and start selling the land for whatsoever purpose.
 Ezenwa said “The State government has withdrawn from the proposed airport project, the community has been waiting for the State Surveyor General to give the final demarcation on the 25% of the 580 hectares of the land it promised to return to the owners”
“Most of the youths masquerading as land owners in the abandoned airport project land have no land there, but are being sponsored by some land speculators who deceived them by giving them peanuts” the monarch said

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