ENUGU CENTENARY WAR RAGES ON

Part Two 

we are being raped and plundered … Obeagu & Amechi Community leaders; No, Gov. Ugwuanyi & and his masquerades are the problems … PEIWA; Govt. should show leadership now … Ex-Commissioner, Festus Uzor

Today, March 9th, as this report is being released, bulldozers have reportedly stormed Obeagu Town, pulling down homes and other property.  

On that cool morning, February 17, 2024, the people of Obeagu Community had commenced their daily routine in and about their villages. Soon, the shrill cry came from the farmland. In the native call for rescue, the crier was warning of tough looking men, menacing and vigorous as they pranced about the homes and the farmlands. They were all masked.

Women were rallied immediately and children were quickly herded into safe places, as nobody knew what was in the offing.

Men who picked the initial cry believed that these were the bandits and kidnappers ravaging parts of Northern Nigeria. They are all masked, huge, muscular and menacing. 

Pandemonium ensued, but men who were men soon gathered and in organized combat formations, dispersed into the farmlands.

In fact, the vehicles were all bearing the official number plates and inscriptions of the Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA. “Indeed, the men were masked,” the horrified traditional ruler of Obeagu, Igwe Mike Nnukwu, told this reporter. “I have never seen a thing like that…men driving government vehicles, masking their faces, going about marking people’s homes for demolition; in some cases, using heavy hammer to stamp dents on buildings, and they had strong police backup with them.”  

Wednesday, March 6th, 2024, the report filtered in to this reporter that persons believed to be working for the Private Estate International West Africa, PEIWA, had stormed homesteads in Obeagu and pulled down the gates leading to the premises of Obeagu Community Civic Hall. 

These were like serving the notice that the war of the expanse of lands formally carved out by the administration of Jim Nwobodo, 1979 – 1983 for the citing of the University of Science & Technology, UNITECH, later ASUTECH and finally ESUT, is still brutally raging. No side appears to be yielding a quarter as none is giving an inch.

This reporter gave his first report a month ago, and intense pressure has now been brought upon him to expand the report to include angles seemingly left out of Part One of the report.

HOW WE CAME INTO THE PROJECT … PEIWA Engineer, Chamberlain Mbachu 

Chamberlain Mbachu, born and brought up in Enugu, although originally from Anambra State, is the Construction Manager/Project Manager of the Enugu Centenary City project. He graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Enugu State University of Science & Technology, ESUT. He is an employee of the Private Estates International West African Limited, PEIWA.

He told this reporter that PEIWA is owned by one Mr. Kingsley Eze, an ICT consultant, native of a community in Ezeagu local government area of Enugu State. He, Eze, initiated the Enugu Centenary City project in conjunction with a South African company. This foreign partner-company named the proposed city, the Enugu Lifestyle & Golf City, but the government decided to name it the “Enugu Centenary City.”

According to Mbachu, the Project was first discussed at the Enugu State Government Executive Council in 2009, which eventually sent some delegates of its members to South Africa for inspection of the kind of such proposed city which was claimed to exist in the country. Soon, the issue of where to cite it was raised and it was settled that the land initially marked out for UNITECH/ASUTECH/ESUT, “which had lied fallow would be perfect.”

But was the land lying fallow? He said ‘yes’, but the communities, Obeagu and Amechi, said a thunderous ‘no.’

Mbachu said that searches were conducted and documentation of the land, especially the now disputed gazette was discovered, and which, to him indicated the availability of 1097 hectares of land. But soon after this discovery, Mbachu claimed, the issue of paying compensations or settlement of the affected communities arose.  

COMMUNITIES DESERVE NO COMPENSATION … Gov. Sullivan Chime

According to Mbachu, the then governor, Sullivan Chime had stated that “demands for compensation have been time-barred.” The then governor was apparently referring to the ‘old book’ arrangement where the communities were bound to ask for and demand their rights of compensation either the era of Jim Nwobodo or the immediate succeeding administration. 

But the learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Anthony Ani, who was also the Attorney General in his government reportedly countered, “it is not time-barred.” He was magisterially firm.

In effect, certain Surveyor Emenike, revealed Mbachu, was deployed to map out portions of the lands as compensation to the communities. It was on the outcome that the government now issued a certificate of occupancy covering 1065 hectares. This translates to concession of 32 hectares of the 1097 hectares as compensation to the communities.

Mbachu said that this was the assurance the estate company, PEIWA, needed and so proceeded in three actions to realize the objectives:

Negotiate with communities, the sharing of compensatory plots and other issues;

Loan of N2 billion from the now defunct Diamond Bank (assets and liabilities now residing with the Access Bank PLC) to finance the business.

Draw and get the government to sign a New Town Development Agreement, NTDA.

Trouble erupted at the introduction of the first set of actions. The communities were enraged that agreements over their lands could be commenced and concluded without their input. In fact, PEIWA’s first port of call, Amechi Uwani, made it clear that they would be a part of the project only on three principles, namely,

Purpose of acquiring the land must be renegotiated as it was no longer the earlier planned educational purpose;

Lands taken must be replaced elsewhere as their coming generation would have no place to build, and,

Compensation must be paid to the community where government is acquiring for overriding public interest.

It was at this point that Governor Chime offered additional 25 hectares, bringing the total to 57 hectares to the communities. This, Engr. Mbachu said, was rejected out of hand and the tussle continued until Chime left government. Meanwhile, PEIWA had been on site, selling portions of the lands in designed plots.

Government of UGWUANYI duped us, swindled communities … PEIWA 

Following the rejection of the 57 hectares offered by PEIWA through the government, the succeeding Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, offered to increase the size, and appointed the State Surveyor General, Mr. Isiwu, to redesign the areas, leading to mapping of 130 hectares as compensation to the communities.

Mbachu said that PEIWA accepted this arrangement and so released the 130 hectares of land, in the Amechi areas, to the State government. 

The unthinkable happened.

To PEIWA’s greatest shock, he revealed, the government reneged on its decision. “Not even a square foot or metre of land was released to the communities. Instead,” he revealed, “the government assigned all the 130 hectares to three other private estate developers, COPEN Services Limited, a firm said to be promoted by one Chief Ugo Chime; Diaspora Gardens Estate, allegedly owned by one Ms. Ola, a cousin or front of the Governor and Value House Limited, allegedly linked to the former deputy governor of Enugu State, Chief Okechukwu Itanyi. 

“Chai! Chai! Chai! Nothing for the communities at all.” Mbachu was now convinced that PEIWA was duped and the Communities swindled.

But the government was not done taking more hectares. “The governor called us and demanded that we release additional 220 hectares of land to be distributed to communities as compensation,” the engineer said. “PEIWA refused. More troubles started.

PEIWA goes solo, adopts George Tubman Goldie strategy.

Ever heard of the Nigeria-colonial historical figure called George Tubman Goldie? He was the boss of Lord Fredrick Lugard; founder of United African Company, African Trading Company, etc. He alone created the country called Nigeria.

Very likely, one of PEIWA strategists must be a historian or student of colonial territorial acquisition history. 

Recall that when the conquering Africa as colonial possession posed a challenge to colonial British George Tubman Goldie, he called in his team and read out his strategy: “take them in bits…pretend to be the friends of the yet to be targeted group…subdue the nearest ones by either outright purchase (inducement) or most unkind military force (coercion); induce division among them and take them one bit after the other. Divided, they fall, united we fail.”

Of course, Goldie succeeded and by 1898, his company had amassed a total of 923, 768 square kilometres of territories translating to two huge countries, Southern and Northern protectorates, all now called Nigeria.

Engineer Mbachu does not think they had such in mind. But, in his words, PEIWA was broken. They just wanted to get out of a quagmire made more difficult by human frailties. Time, he said, was running out. Outstanding on the loan from the bank was mounting in interests and management fees. Communities were getting more restive, especially as allegedly induced by emerging interests. The government or its functionaries, he further asserted, had proven to be grossly unreliable if not dubious. 

To worsen the fears of PEIWA, he said, a group called “The Masquerades” emerged from the blues and “started causing havoc” on the scene. It was soon followed by another ‘dreadful group’ headed by a lady named Ola, who was claimed to be related to and serving the interest of the then government. Previously, PEIWA’s first surveyor, Victor Nnam, Mbachu was allegedly snatched by government and made the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Enugu State. PEIWA believed that this move was to seize and hold the man who would give some land Mafiosi in government the required information to manipulate events in the Centenary City.

So, PEIWA swiftly commenced its bit-by-bit agreements, isolation of larger communities, to amass tons of written memorandums of understanding with families, kindreds, villages and clusters within the communities.

One of these was the “Memorandum of Understanding, MOU between PEIWA of one part and Timothy Ogbodo, Chief Okonkwo Nwobodo, Barr. Emeka Agu, Mr. Innocent Agu, Mr. Emeka Nnamani, & Mr. Dominic Agu of the other part.” It evidences the cession of 75 percent of the lands originally owned by the specific family/community to PEIWA whereas the remainder of 25 percent reverts to the community to be shared, owned and managed as personal estates of the signatories identified as “beneficiaries.” 

Another was between PEIWA, now as ‘grantor’ and Chief Samuel Ifeanyi Nnamani, Pastor Enoch Nnamani, Hon. Sunday Nnamani, Chief Elder Michael Nnamani & Chief Ikechukwu Nnamani, all identified as ‘Beneficiaries.” The ‘beneficiaries” were given a total of 31 plots of the land, formerly belonging to the community, as compensation. In effect, they also covenanted to “instantly withdraw from the suit Nos. E/437/2012: Chief Okonkwo Nwobodo 7 Ors Vs. Attorney General of Enugu State & Ors.”

Yet, another was between PEIWA as ‘Grantor” of one Part and Elder Chief Oko Onovo, Elder Chief Emmanuel Nsude Oko, Elder Chief Ogbonna Agbo, Elder Emeka Nsude, Chief Diribe Nwafor, Chief Anthony Nwoye, Chief Innocent Nnamani, Rev. Emeka Oko, Messrs Isaiah Chukwu, Ekene Onovo & Emeka Nnaji, as “beneficiaries” of the other Part. In this arrangement, this group closely identified as distinct families in Umuewo Ukwu, Amuzam Obeagu Awkunanaw ceded their 20 hectares of lands to PEIWA of which about five (5) hectares were returned to the kindred by the virtue of this agreement as compensation and final settlement.

Similar agreements the documents he showed this reporter were reached respectively between PEIWA and Umuchimereze of Amechi Uwani; Umuegbo/Umunganvene; Umu Nsude Aga Onovo, Umu Argom and Aga Ewoh families in Ndiagu Amechi Uwani; Umunshiede, Umu Onashi, Umuewoede in Amechi Uwani-Awkunanaw and Umuanionu family/Umuchimereze Kindred of Amechi Uwani.  

So far, more than 20 of such understandings have been reached. The Goldie strategy is working, though vehemently denied by PEIWA.

BLUE MURDER

The various communities affected by the Goldie strategy of PEIWA, the government and other players view these as the most wicked attempts at robbing the people of their heritage and future of their children.