- Seek Oborevwori’s Intervention
BY PATRICK MGBODO
There is fear in the Akwu-Ogede Layout, Umuomake Family Land in Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area, as over 2000 residents call on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene in the revocation of their lands.
The residents, comprising landowners and settlers, told journalists they feared that some persons were attempting to undermine the government’s good intentions of bringing development closer to the community by encroaching on their lands.
According to the spokesperson of the community, Engr Bright Ugbama, they had done their due diligence in the purchase of their lands to ensure that it was free from all encumbrances, but were recently disturbed by some government officials surveying their lands uninvited.
‘’From inquisitiveness, we discovered that there is a publication in The Pointer of May 10, 2025, stating that the state government is acquiring an expanse of land with coordinates and distance therein. So, we decided to know the exact situation.
He appreciated the governor’s developmental strides, adding, ”While we are worried about all of this, we tried to find out exactly and precisely where the places (for acquisition) are, but we are not getting clear information. So, we are very worried’’
The community spokesman further explained that they suspected foul play, following the seeming clumsiness of the lands marked for revocation. ”The government usually takes their coordinates in a uniform bearing, but in our case, the lands are falling in and out of bearings and overlapping. And we are not comfortable with this.’’
Corroborating the spokesman, another landowner, Mrs Benita Okwudi-Asemota, who bought her land in 2022, appealed to the governor to intervene in clarifying the areas that the state government has acquired so that other actors do not take advantage of the process to take their lands.
‘’Since last week, we have not been able to sleep with our eyes closed. We have suffered to buy our lands and build. Many of us borrowed money to build our homes. It is a lot of effort. We spent over 10 years trying to build’’ she said.
In the same vein, Sarah Oli, an ex-NYSC member, who decided to settle in the state after her youth service, said she did all due diligence from the relevant government authorities in purchasing her land.
‘’I started struggling to mould blocks and gradually, I started to build a house. I went to the government with the documents, and they gave me the approval to proceed with the building. Suddenly, some people came to my site, claiming that the government is aspiring to acquire my land’’ she said in tears.
Sarah said she proceeded to the Ministry of Lands and Survey to get further clarifications, but was surprised that while her plot has been marked for government acquisition, other plots around hers are marked ‘’outside government land’’
‘’Please, our Governor, we know you do not want Deltans to suffer. We are already settled here; we have invested money to build our homes here. We borrowed money to build. Old people, pensioners are living here’’ she pleaded.
Also, the Chairman of the community, Chief Augustine Chinwuba, added ”We have noticed that there are some persons who want to use this opportunity under the government cover to encroach into our lands’’
Others who spoke, including Pastor Godswell Onororakpomana, reiterated their support for the governor, saying they were ready to re-elect him in 2027.
