BY DENNIS UDOMA, Uyo
The host communities of St. Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery in Mkpat Enin Local Government of Akwa Ibom State have demanded N14 Billion as compensation to land owners acquired for the project since 2016.
The call was made by the village heads of the 13 affected communities in Ikpa Ibom Clan during a press conference held at Ikot Ekong on Wednesday.
The statement tagged, “Why the Government of Akwa Ibom State Under His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, Should Follow 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 of St Gabriel Coconut Plantation Thousand of Hectares of Communal, Family and Private Parcels of Land Compulsorily Acquired by Akwa Ibom State Government since 2016” and signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Land Owners (Host Communities) Forum, H.H( Eteidung) Raymond Udia Rtd and Chief Cletus Inyang respectively explained that, in 2017 N3.5B was used for the importation of coconut seedlings from Cote D’Ivoire and in 2018, N26B was approved by former Governor Udoma Emmanuel for payment of compensation to land owners compulsorily acquired under the industrialization policy wherein, St Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Refinery Limited was on the list of bonafide beneficiaries, but till date, land owners of the plantation have not been paid.
He further disclosed that, recently the State government had approved another N390 Million in the 2024 budget for maintenance of Infrastructure at the Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery without due attention to the cries of the land owners, who had been dispossessed of their only farm lands and economic resource.
Chief Inyang also noted that, the certified true copies of incorporation documents of the company in their possession confirmed that, St Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery is a private limited liability company with share capital of 200 Million completely allocated with zero share allotment to the communities nor payment of compensation.
According to them, “it is undeniable fact that in pursuit of our legitimate claims, Hon. Justice Iniabasi T. Udobong of the High Court of Akwa Ibom State, Mkpat Enin Judicial Division in suit delivered judgement in our favour against St Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery Ltd but, declined to enforce the judgement to allow for amicable and out of court settlement because, we now have a Pastor with a sense of justice on the saddle of leadership in Akwa Ibom State”.
The group, condemned the allegation peddled by Ex-Governor Udom’s administration of “Mbiam” scare causing the stunted growth at the Coconut Plantation and emphasized that, for better yields and growth at the Coconut plantation, the state government should pay them compensation as according to law of nature, “You cannot robe Peter to Pay Paul”.
While calling on the wife of the Governor, Pastor Mrs. Patience Umo Eno and Deputy Governor, Dr. Akon Eyakenyi to also intervene in this regard, appealed to the State Governor, Umo Eno as an In – Law to extend his benevolence of his Arise Agenda and compassionate leadership to the 13 villages in Mkpat Enin by paying them compensation using the Evaluation Reports of Messrs Nnsewo Abah that was duly acknowledged by the Ministry of Lands as a working document in arriving at a just, equitable and adequate compensation to the beneficiaries.
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