The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HoMEF), a leading Civil Society Organisation dedicated to environmental causes, has denounced what it alleges as widespread land grabbing by the Akwa Ibom state government, disguised under the pretext of citing development projects.
Expressing deep concern over this issue, the organization has called on communities in Akwa Ibom that have lost or are at risk of losing their lands to the government and multinational corporations to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Land Use Act.
During a recent farmers’ training session on “Land Rights and the Fight Against Land Grabbing” in Okoro-Utip, Ibeno local government area of Akwa Ibom State, Stephen Oduware, the Project Lead for HoMEF, emphasized the need for communities to recognize that the government holds the land in trust for them. Oduware stressed that communities should be fully consulted and compensated whenever the government seeks to acquire land for developmental projects.
Oduware urged people to disregard the notion that “All lands belong to the government,” asserting that such a belief is a tactic employed for land grabs and is in contradiction to the Land Use Act. He expressed regret that this lack of awareness has given multinational companies the opportunity to bypass due process, neglect Environmental Impact Assessments, and leave negative impacts on local communities.
He highlighted, “Communities have been dispossessed, oppressed, and intimidated into giving up their lands. The Land Use Act of 1978 vests the land in the government’s trust for the people, but today, the government often acts as if they own the land, leaving the community feeling landless.”
Umoh Isuah-Ikoh, Coordinator of Peace Point Development Foundation, lamented that communities in the state have lost lands without compensation for projects that do not positively impact them, citing instances in coconut plantations and industry.
Isuah-Ikoh criticized the government for taking lands with promises of projects that end up being abandoned, leaving the original landowners with nothing. He urged communities to assert their rights, ensuring proper consultation, fair compensation, and Environmental Impact Assessments before releasing land to the government or corporations.
One participant, Abasiubong John, shared his experience of losing several hectares of land without compensation in the past. Empowered by the training, he expressed determination to use every legal means available to protect his land, emphasizing that the government holds the land in trust for the people and must consult them before any usage.
