The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s move to upgrade the Enugu Airport to international standard led to the acquisition of some private lands through the state Ministry of Lands, with a promise to compensate the landowners since 2009.
However, just as the legal battle for due compensation by the government delays, six of the affected landowners at Airport Hillview and Layout, whose houses were demolished in the process have been reported dead.
That notwithstanding, Justice D. V Agishi of the Federal High Court in Enugu yesterday adjourned its ruling on the matter to November 19, 2012 due to the failure of the State’s counsel to appear in court.
Speaking on behalf of other landowners, the chairman of the Airport Hillview and Layout Landlords Association, Mr. Emmanuel Onoh, expressed his disappointment on the non-challant attitude of the government over the matter. According to him, “we have since agreed to give the land to the government. It belongs to the government, but we are saying that we must be compensated and quickly. Already six people have died waiting for government’s compensation. Two others are very sick due to the shock they received on government’s acquisition of our land.
However, just as the legal battle for due compensation by the government delays, six of the affected landowners at Airport Hillview and Layout, whose houses were demolished in the process have been reported dead.
That notwithstanding, Justice D. V Agishi of the Federal High Court in Enugu yesterday adjourned its ruling on the matter to November 19, 2012 due to the failure of the State’s counsel to appear in court.
Speaking on behalf of other landowners, the chairman of the Airport Hillview and Layout Landlords Association, Mr. Emmanuel Onoh, expressed his disappointment on the non-challant attitude of the government over the matter. According to him, “we have since agreed to give the land to the government. It belongs to the government, but we are saying that we must be compensated and quickly. Already six people have died waiting for government’s compensation. Two others are very sick due to the shock they received on government’s acquisition of our land.
Most of us are still very worried and our health is fast deteriorating because we have not had money to buy another land equivalent to what we bought the land at Airport Hillview and Layout to build the houses some years ago. We the landowners, under the auspices of Airport Hillview and Layout Neighbourhood Watch, dragged the state government to court in 2010 when it failed to redeem its promise to pay us our due compensation.”
Also adding to the complaints lodged by Mr. Onoh, their counsel, Nwabueze Ugwu, said the State government has been playing pranks with the promised compensation, however, he is also pressing hard to see if the case would be settled out of court amicably.
Source: Daily Post
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