Posted by Traditional leaders from thirteen different villages in Akwa Ibom State’s Mkpat Enin LGA have gone on strike, seeking N13 billion from the current government, after having their land taken for a coconut plantation by the previous administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
ROLE MODELING On Sunday, the royal family gathered on the expansive plot of land that former governor Emmanuel had taken in 2016 for a coconut plantation to supply the St. Gabriel Coconut Oil Refinery.
However, the monarchs were upset that the former governor still refused to pay, despite their pleadings and legal actions, and so they had to resort to protesting.
The thirteen village chiefs from the Ikot Ekong community and the rest of the Ikpa Ibom clan pleaded with Governor Eno to grant their demands for the acquired lands at a news conference held at the palace of Chief Raymond Udia, the forum’s chairman, later on.
While reading the forum’s communiqué, Chief Cletus Inyang urged the governor to “follow the due process and rule of law in compliance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) and Land Use Act, by paying adequate compensation to owners and holders of deemed customary Right of Occupancy (C of O) of St Gabriel Coconut Plantation.”
They claim that many farmers in the impacted areas have been compelled to quit farming due to the state government’s compulsory acquisition of thousands of hectares of communal, family, and private land since 2016.
“In 2017, the government imported coconut seedlings from Cote D’Ivoire with a budget of N3.5 billion. In 2018, former Governor Udom Emmanuel authorized a budget of N26 billion to compensate landowners who had their land forcedly acquired under the industrialization policy.
Among the legitimate beneficiaries was St. Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Refinery Limited, but the landowners of the plantation have not received any payment as of yet,” they recalled.