In order to resolve persistent difficulties before starting operations, BUA Petrochemical Refinery Limited has been urged to meet with stakeholders of the host villages by the Ekid Peoples Union, or EPU, in Akwa Ibom State, which is composed of Esit and Eket.
Dr. Samuel Udonsak, President-General of EPU, stated at a news conference on Saturday that while the Akwa Ibom State Government was aware of the business’s entry, it was also more convenient for the company to meet with the land owners for appropriate negotiations and agreement.
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Even though the Ekid people are not averse to progress, he added that it was offensive that the state government had confiscated their forest reserve without giving them due process, and that they would do everything in their power to stop them, including going to court.
He said, “Our land was taken in an oppressive and wrong way.” If the transaction had been made for the community’s growth and the overriding public interest, we would have received the compensation.
First of all, the transaction is not being made for a dominant interest. The government and BUA must act appropriately; they must sit down with the landowners and take the necessary action. What becomes to our wildlife and plants? He asked.
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Speaking as well, Barr Dan Abia, Secretary-General of the EPU, acknowledged that the state government had previously tried to compensate them for the property they had taken, but noted that this was not what the Ekid people want.
According to him, all they were requesting was that the state government adhere to the legal requirements for acquiring land and that they meet with the investment business to discuss the terms and circumstances, particularly with regard to the preservation of their flora and fauna.
Under the pretense that all lands belong to the government, Abia bemoaned “lots of illegal acquisition in the Stubb Creeks of their forest reserves” and stated that the Ekid Union would no longer permit such activities to continue.
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He noted that by granting a corporation permission to erect a permanent facility on a forest reserve, the Akwa Ibom State Government had disregarded an ordinance.
“That area is a forest reserve created by ordinance, and you have no right to erect a permanent structure—you are only allowed to fish and harvest palm wine, and even the government has broken the law that it enacted,” he said.
“There is a great deal of unlawful acquisition occurring on the forest reserves’ stump creeks. There is no such thing as government land; instead, the governor owns the land and there is an acquisition process. This is something I hear people claim occasionally. According to Section 44 of the Constitution and Section 22 of the Land Use Act, the government may only purchase land for the overriding public interest.
The government should not take over public land, turn it into private property, and then give it to a private person. That isn’t for the greater good of the people. In what way may a private enterprise (BUA) enter a neighborhood without first having a conversation with the landowners?
“One day, we sat down and the state administration sent us a memo saying they would compensate us—but for what? The legal prescription is as follows: first, you must notify us in writing of your intention to purchase, along with the purpose of the purchase, which must be paramount; second, you must gazete the property after it has been acquired; third, you must provide us with timely and adequate compensation; and, fourth, you must grant us access to the court in the event that we disagree with the first three prescriptions.
“These were not completed; there is no evidence that the government owns any proportionate stake in BUA firm; instead, the government just sat down and handed Certificates of Occupancy to private corporations whose sole goal is to generate money. This is an obvious instance of robbery and modern-day slavery. We are now in court, therefore we can’t let that happen.
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