Govt Gives 7-Day Ultimatum To Monarch To Retract Claim Of Ruga Land In Abia

By Rufus Ike

The Abia State Government has given a traditional ruler in the state, Eze Prof. S.I. Owuala, a seven day ultimatum to retract the claim that the government had apportioned land for the controversial RUGA programme of the Federal Government.

The administration said the traditional ruler’s claim was wrong and against the collective decision of the Southeast not to partake in the RUGA programme as promoted by the federal administration.

The ultimatum was given by the attorney general and commissioner for justice, Uche Ihediwa.

The commissioner said that the land referred to by Eze Owuala along Port-Harcourt -Enugu Expressway was initially requested for by the Federal Government for a trailer park but that the proposal was not concretised and that the land has now been earmarked for a car assembly plant.

“The man who is behind this false information is the traditional ruler of Umuobasi Autonomous Community in Osisioma Ngwa LGA. We’ve not even given letter of allocation not to talk of certificate of occupancy for the trailer park. It will be insensitive for us to go against what the entire South East in the issue of RUGA. We’re giving him 7 days to apologize to Abia State government or we’ll meet him in court.

“We want to clear the air on this unfortunate, unfounded and malicious insinuations going round the state. The land use Act is very clear on the processes and procedures that can be followed before lands can be acquired. 

“In September 2014, the Federal Ministry of Works, Transport and Housing requested for land to establish trailer park in the course of the reconstruction of the Enugu/Port Harcourt Highway. 

“This was in 2014 and as at then the project was going on in almost all commercial cities in Nigeria meant to avoid unnecessary traffic in the city. The request then was for specific areas; one in Umunneochi, another in Umuahia while we have the last one at Aro-Ngwa in Osisioma Ngwa LGA.  This was how what started under President Jonathan suddenly took another colouration which was never within the plan of Abia State government to establish anything like RUGA here. 

 “When we came on board, the request was still on the pipeline so we went about trying to interact with the communities in the areas penciled down for this trailer park. They requested for 50 hectares, but all we saw in the area was 20 hectares and so we aborted that assignment leading to the penciling of the land for a Car Assembly Plant attracted by the governor from China. 

“As we were working on the Car Assembly Plant, someone who knew about the trailer park in this very dispensation of RUGA went about spreading the rumours that the trailer park is now a plot to establish RUGA.

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