Land owners on the 2nd Niger Bridge project within the Right of Way, has called on the federal government of Nigeria to pay them their compensation.
The spokesperson of the group, Chief Bamidele Imona while speaking with Journalists, said the proceeds from Abacha’s loot which was meant for the purpose of the total completion of the second Niger bridge be used to settle the issue of the outstanding compensations.
Imona said an assurance of compensation for the damages done to their properties was earlier made, which till date had not been fulfilled.
According to him the properties which fell within the Right of Way corridor leading to the 2nd Niger bridge, Phases 2a Okwe through Asaba, Ibusa and Okpanam and also phase 2b Obosi, through Nkpor, Umuoji, Ogidi, Ugbunike to Enugu Express way in Anambra State, had earlier been compulsorily acquired by the federal government of Nigeria for the purpose of constructing the access road to the bridge.
He said the claim by the Minister of Works and Housing that the Project was 95 percent ready and left with four kilometres on phase 2A Okwe to Okpanam was not true as the distance covered during the enumeration and verification of crops and structures was 17.5 kilometres between Okwe and Okpanam in Delta State, and also same with phase 2b Obosi to Enugu Express way in Anambra State, adding that it was 17.30 kilometres not seven kilometres as claimed by the Minister of Works.
Others who spoke were Engr. Uche Onuora, Dr.Mrs Josephine Crossdale, Mrs Christiana Vizor amongst other, charged Fashola to stop lying to the President and cried out for quick response to their plea as they were homeless and couldn’t afford a financial income to secure another properties.
Upon arrival at the Federal Secretariat, the wind of their presence got to staff of the Ministry of Works who took to their heels, leaving their bags and belongings behind.
The petition, which was copied to other federal ministries, agencies and the American Embassy, urged the Federal Government to pay the compensation from the repatriated funds popularly referred to as Abacha loot.
It reads: “Five years ago, the Federal Government came and acquired our property for the construction of the second Niger Bridge. We have since patiently waited for the payment of compensation due to us but to no avail.
“Recently, we started hearing about plans being made by the government to officially commission the bridge with a claim by the Minister for Works and Housing, Raji Fashola, that the project is 95% completed and that phase 2A Okwe-Okpanam is left with 4km not done due to flooding.
“We left the property for them and they demolished most of them in the course of construction, they brought a compensation form, we filled it and they took our bank details for the payment of compensation.
“The claim by Mr. Fashola is not true as the distance covered during the enumeration and verification of crops and structures is over 17.5 km between Okwe to Okpanam in Delta State, while 17.30 km of Phase 2B from Obosi to Enugu express way in Anambra State.”
Spade Ng News gathered that, one of the property owners, Mrs Josephine Crossdale, said: “we want to let President Buhari know that we have not been compensated till date. They did an enumeration and valued our property, we went to the Ministry of Works and did all the necessary documentation, not knowing that Fashola had plans not to pay us our right.
“Now, our property has been vandalised, our lands have been acquired by the Federal Government without compensation and turned us into tenants.”
On her part, widow of the late soldier who died in the fight against Boko Haram, Mrs Christiana Visor, lamented that her family has been passing through difficult times.
“My husband died in this course, till date, nothing has been given to us. They took our house, now we are tenants expecting our compensation, but it is not forthcoming. The money should be paid to us with the present economic value because the price of cement as at 2017 was about N1,000.00, now it is over N4,000.00,” she said.