The land owners of St. Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have demanded N14 billion as compensation for their lands acquired in 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 Thursday.
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.”
The statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Land Owners Forum, also known as host communities, was read by Chiefs HH Eteidung Raymond Udia and Chief Cletus Inyang.
The host communities explained that in 2017 N3.5 billion was used for the importation of coconut seedlings from Cote D’Ivoire and in 2018, N26 billion was approved by former Governor Udom Emmanuel for the payment of compensation to lands 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.
They claimed that recently the state government approved another N390 million in the 2024 budget for the 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 farmlands and economic resource.
Chief Inyang said the certified true copies of incorporation documents obtained by the community confirmed that the acquired St Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery is a private limited liability company with a share capital of 200 million completely allocated with zero share allotment to the communities nor payment of compensation.
The statement said, “it is undeniable fact that in pursuit of our legitimate claims, 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 community also appealed to the wife of the Governor, Pastor Patience Umo Eno and the Deputy Governor, Dr Akon Eyakenyi to also intervene in the matter.
They also appealed to Governor, Umo Eno to extend the 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.
The village heads in attendance at the press conference were, His Highness (WO) Raymond Udia Rtd, Ikot Ekong, Obong Sylvester Akpan Inyang, Ikot Oyoro, Obong Okon Marcus Akpakpan, Ikot Inyang Okop, Obong Akpan Jackson, Ibiote, Obong Michael Sunday Akpan, Ikot Aba, Obong Ufot Essien Akpan, Ikot Eti, Obong Okon Akpan Nelson, Ikot Enin, Obong Ufot Jeremiah Akpan, Ikot Obio Ndoho, Obong Paulinus John Udo, Ekim, Chief Udo Isaac Udo, Council Chairman, Ibotio, Chief Frank Sunday Akrasi, Ikot Akpanden, Chief Okon Robinson, Chairman, Ikot Ekpang and Chief Eko Sam, Chairman, Ndon Village Council.