Irked by the rumor making the round in some quarters that Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has concluded arrangement to revoke plots of land at Amansea Community, Awka North Local Government Area, allocated to the allottees by the Federal Government, a group known as Association for Equity and Justice in the State, yesterday described such move as anti- Igbo.
According to the leader of the group, Chief Tony Arinze, “Anambrarians believe that All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, fights for the course of Igbo nation, so why should it turn against the people it is fighting for by revoking their land allocated to them by the Federal Government in 1996 under the Federal Government Housing Site and Service Scheme.
Speaking at Oba, near Onitsha, after rising from a closed door meeting, the group leader recalled that such development housing scheme was allocated to each state of the Federation stating that the State Government should not talk of revocation of a land that does not belong to it.
According to the spokesman of the group, Chief Arinze, “the former Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, now Federal Ministry of Works, Housing and Power, allocated the said plots of land to us after paying compensation to the Amansea land owners”.
“The flag-off date of Awka/ Amansea site by the Minister was 13th December 2010.the Minister’s successor in office was Mrs. Ama Pepple who also upheld the flag – off”, he disclosed.
“We are surprise that the State Government came into the land and removed the beacons by way of revocation of the land that belongs to us, a land we procured from the Federal Government”.
“The verification exercise has since been done by the Federal Government to ensure proper allocation. The idea of revocation of the plots of land is capable of causing chaos and anarchy in the state if not stopped”, he said.
We appeal to the Federal Government to caution the State Government to stop the revocation exercise and we appeal to Chief Victor Umeh, the former National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, as an Estate Surveyor and a fellow of Institute of Estate Management of Nigeria to advise Governor Willie Obiano on the implication of the revocation”.
“Chief Victor Umeh as a Knight in the Catholic Church should understand better and render good explanation on the implication of what the State Government is doing, in the interest of peace and progress of the State.
APGA is said to represent the Igbo interest but the revocation of the land by APGA led State Government is anti-Igbo”, Mr. Arinze stated.
“We remember that Federal Government Permanent Secretary wrote a letter to the State Government on this effect asking the State Government, to steer clear of the land” Arinze stated further.