Property owners at the Egbelu Ariaria, Uratta Uzoiyi, Abayi Ogbuligba, Umuojima and Umuode communities in Aba have sent a save our soul message to President Goodluck Jonathan and Gov. Theodore Orji over alleged under payment of their structures by an National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) appointed Estate Agent; Chinwe Akano and Associates.
They are calling on Jonathan, Orji, NIPP official to appeal to Chinwe Akano and Associates to pay them the correct amount their property was valued at.
Chinwe Akano and Associates, one among several estate agents/ valuers engaged by Lagos based Estate Surveyors and Valuers, C.A Chizea & Co, who was appointed by the NIPP to undertake the task of compensating owners and occupiers of property and shops at the said communities including sheds at the Uratta Timber and Allied Market which are under the 330 KVA high tension transmission lines passing through Alaoji, Aba to Owerri in Imo state , was alleged to have underpaid property owners.
247ureports.com gathered beside Chinwe Akano and Associates, the appointed agent, C.A Chizea & Co., also engaged other estate valuers such as Uma Okorie & Co., Tony Ururuka & Associates and A.O Anwar & Co. Others were Emeka Achi & Assocites, Ben Okoronkwo & Co., Alex Udobi & Co., Elekwachi & Associates, Ikedi Ezekwesiri & Co., among others, who swung into action and evaluated the over 1,000 buildings and shops in the area to ensure the early completion of the power project.
After the evaluation process, the agents whose rule of engagement allow them 10 percent commission of whatever amount that was paid to the structure owners, submitted their evaluation report to C.A Chizea & Co. who processed the documents and gave the agents money for onward payment to the structure owners.
Trouble began for Chinwe Akano and Associates when the property owners began to cry foul, alleging that the latter did not only under evaluate most of their property, but that they were underpaid by as much as 90 percent of the approved amount.
The property owners claimed that what was agreed in the rule of engagement of the agents was that they (the agents) would take 10 percent of the total amount to each property owner as commission, but that the reverse was the case. The property owners alleged that instead they were paid 10 percent of the amount approved for them while the agents collected the remaining 90 percent.
A property owner in the area, Lawrence N. Chikwendu accused Chinwe Akano of shortchanging him in the amount valued for his two storey building.
He alleged that Chinwe Akano and Associates paid him N8.6m for his two storey building of six flats and some stores in the frontage of his building as against N37.5m said to be contained in the document code conveying approval for payment of compensation, stressing that Chinwe Akano & Associates later claimed in their memorandum to the principal consultant that they paid him N37.5m.
Another property owner, Christopher Dim whose three storey building was valued at N65.6m and the same amount approved for payment as contained in the document, was allegedly paid N10m by Chinwe Akano and Associates.
Anthony Okeke also alleged that he was paid N1m by the same Chinwe Akano and Associates as against his property allegedly valued at N10.7m.
It was still the same tale of woes for Chikwe Albert whose house was valued at N10.8m, but allegedly received only N2.8m from another agent, Achi and Co.
Many other property owners are sill crying foul over the alleged under payment of their property by the same agent.
The property owners also alleged that Chinwe Akano & Associates took them to a private building at Owerri, Imo State for the payment of their compensation where mobile policemen, other security personnel and strange faces deployed to the house intimidated them into accepting whatever amount they were paid.
The affected property owners equally alleged that Chinwe Akano & Associates forced them into depositing the amount they were paid into a designated bank whose officials were brought to the private house for this purpose. They claimed that accounts were hurriedly opened for them in the said bank against their wish.
As a result of the development, they petitioned Principal agent, C.A Chizea & Co., alleging underpayment by the agents the company appointed for them.
C.A Chizea & Co., replied the property owners stating that the agents were giving money per property based on what was on the indemnity form submitted by the Estate Valuers.
In one of the letters dated September 12, 2011, signed on behalf of Ms. Claire Chizea, principal partner, C.A Chizea & Co. and addressed to Lawrence Iwuoha, the company claimed it paid to the agent the amount contained in the indemnity form for onward payment to the property owner.
“Your letter titled: ‘Balance of compensation money in respect of my building situates and lies at Abayi-Ogbuligba, Osisioma Ngwa Local Government’, refers.
“Your compensation payment as it is in the record is N37,531,840 as against the sum of N8,600,000 you alleged to have been paid to you. Attached is the indemnity form submitted by your agent, Chinwe Akano & Associates in support of the sum of N37, 531, 840 being the full payment,” the letter read in part.
After the payments which the property owners alleged underpayment, they started receiving notices that the structures would soon be demolished.
To compound their woes, the property owners stated that their tenants no longer pay rents to them, stating that they (property owners) had been compensated and the property ceased to be theirs.
The property owners also claimed that the amount paid them as compensation was not enough to buy a plot of land within the area. They stated that the development has put them in a state of dilemma.
As a result of the situation, the property owners have resolved that if the payments are not completed to them, they would employ all legal means to resist the demolition of their property as has been marked.
When contacted for his reaction to the allegations of ripping off property owners assigned to him, the Estate agent/Valuer, Chinwe Akano refused to state his side of the story despite several appeals by our reporter.
