The Abia State Government says over 3,500 landowners affected by the Abia Airport runway in Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North, have received compensation.
Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, made the disclosure during a weekend inspection visit with top officials, including Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr. Chaka Chukwumerije, and the Airport Project Coordinator, Pastor Okorougo Aje.
Ajagba admitted some community members had not received payment but blamed it on incomplete indemnity certificates and account issues. He assured that Governor Alex Otti’s administration remains committed to fulfilling all agreements.
Nsulu Stakeholders Dispute Govt’s Position
But the Nsulu Stakeholders Forum (NSF) described the government’s claims as propaganda. Its convener, Mazi Chigoram, said it was “sad” that the Otti administration was allegedly forcing people to sign indemnity forms while ignoring court orders.
He recalled that in December 2024, an Abia State High Court in Okpuala Ngwa directed the state to halt further action on the land pending determination of a suit filed by landowners. Another case is also before a Federal High Court in Abuja, with judgment expected on October 2.
According to NSF, the government breached key laws by failing to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment and by awarding the airport contract without a competitive bidding process as required under the Bureau of Public Procurement Act, 2007.
The Forum also raised concerns about ancestral land, burial sites, sources of drinking water, and economic crops that would be destroyed if the project proceeds. Some landowners, it alleged, received as little as ₦100,000 regardless of the size of their plots.
“We are not against the airport project,” Chigoram stressed. “But let the government wait for the courts to decide and follow due process. Nsulu people will resist any attempt to take away their only source of survival without justice.”
