Anambra community protests planned demolition of houses for power project

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Indigenes of Ebenesi Community in Nnobi, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, on Tuesday protested against the planned demolition of their ancestral homes to make way for a power line project.

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The protesters appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to intervene in the disagreement between the community and the Transmission Company of Nigeria over the project.

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The community members, who staged the protest at the Obi Ezenabo Traditional Centre, Ebenesi, alleged that more than six elders had collapsed and died following the marking of their houses for demolition by officials of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board.

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They claimed that the officials had ordered affected landlords to demolish their houses within 14 days or have the structures demolished by the government, with the owners allegedly required to bear the cost.

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Speaking during the protest, the Chairman of Ebenesi Community, Chief Okechukwu Oraka, flanked by his deputy, Chief Patrick Nwanyiaku, said the community was opposed to the planned demolition because no arrangement had been made to relocate the affected residents.

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Oraka also alleged that the power line project was diverted to Nnobi after it was originally planned to pass through other areas.

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He said, “Nnobi came into this TCN power line project through foul means. Nnobi was not captured in the original plan of that project; it was diverted to Nnobi by some people who feel that we have nobody to speak for us both in the Federal and state governments.

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“Ebenesi is highly populated and we don’t have land, and now the state government is forcing us to vacate our ancestral homes with no plan of relocating us. That is impossible. We will relocate to anywhere in this Nnobi if they provide a place for us.

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“We are not actually against development projects and infrastructure, but what we are saying is that in providing such infrastructure, the people that will enjoy them must live to enjoy them. If any infrastructure is provided and the people to enjoy it are sent into extinction, what is the need?”

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Oraka said the community had occupied the area for more than 200 years, adding that the government should consider alternative arrangements if the project must pass through Nnobi.

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“I have travelled and lived overseas; power lines do not pass through residential areas, and there was never a time, since over 200 years our forefathers who bequeathed this land were told not to build their houses because a power line project would pass through here,” he said.

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“So it is not possible for us to relocate. The best they can do if the project must go on is to pass the lines underground.”

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The protesters, comprising youths, elderly men and women, chanted songs and displayed placards rejecting the planned demolition and the routing of the project through Nnobi.

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They appealed to the Federal and state governments to relocate the project to another area or construct the power lines underground.

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Some representatives of affected villages in Ebenesi, including Staley Izuegbu of Ifite Village, Bartholomew Ojukwu of Umuafor Village and the Secretary of Umuona Village, also called for the relocation of the project or an alternative arrangement that would prevent the demolition of residential buildings.

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An 81-year-old retired civil servant, Mrs Comfort Ngwudo, who spoke on behalf of residents aged above 80, said the government should consider the impact of the project on the community.

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She said, “There is nothing happening in life that is not as a result of good or bad policy. There is no man who owns an ancestral land that didn’t get it from his forefathers or fathers except those that bought from people.

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“How can anybody who is reasonable come to a village and tell people to relocate from their ancestral land they have lived in for over 200 years?

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“Government should not come to people with oppressive policies. If government wants to build anything for the people, they should ensure that it is what the people need, not what will lead to their early grave.”

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The protesters later took their demonstration to Awuda and Ngo, two other quarters that make up Nnobi, including the palace of the traditional ruler, Igwe Nick Obi, and the residence of the President-General of Nnobi, Chief Sir Aloy Olubialu.

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The traditional ruler, through his Palace Secretary, Ichie Obianumba Ajayiaku, and Olubialu, commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct and assured them that their grievances would be communicated to the appropriate authorities.

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However, when contacted on Wednesday, a top official of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board, Cletus Ohame, said the demolition notices were duly served on the affected landlords.

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Ohame said the area had been earmarked for the power line project for many years.

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“The affected landlords were duly served with notices. The area was earmarked for the power line project many years ago, and they should know that it is about infrastructural development,” he said.

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