By David Owei,Bayelsa <\/p>\n
Palpable tension is mounting in parts of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, as indigenes and residents of Igbogene and the wider Epie Kingdom protest what they describe as inadequate compensation for lands acquired by the state government for public projects.<\/p>\n
In their separate reactions, community members alleged that compensation figures ranging between \u20a6400,000 and \u20a6490,000 per plot fall significantly below the current market value of the affected lands.<\/p>\n
According to them, some of the plots were originally purchased for about \u20a6350,000 nearly five years ago, arguing that the present valuation fails to reflect prevailing economic realities.<\/p>\n
The aggrieved landowners further lamented and regretted that the acquisition exercise has resulted in the loss of farmlands traditionally relied upon by families\u2014particularly women\u2014for sustenance, thereby posing a threat to livelihoods in the affected communities. They also claimed that several economic trees, including locally valued species such as ogbein and uyen, were destroyed during land clearing activities.<\/p>\n
Residents expressed concern over the broader cultural and economic implications of the development, warning that the displacement of communities and the destruction of ancestral lands could have long-term consequences for the heritage and survival of the Epie people.
\nSome community members also alleged that multiple plots of land, including about 13 plots located around the stadium axis, have already been taken over by the government without full compensation being paid. They described the situation as unjust and insensitive.
\nWhile acknowledging the importance of infrastructural development in the state, the protesters insisted that land acquisition processes must be guided by fairness, transparency, and adequate compensation in line with established laws and best practices.
\nThey called on the Bayelsa State Government, led by Governor Douye Diri, to investigate the matter and ensure that affected persons are treated fairly, noting that the reported compensation figures may not reflect the governor\u2019s directive.<\/p>\n
Efforts to obtain official reactions from relevant government agencies were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.<\/p>\n
Recall,Igbogene – Epie is host to prominent government projects such as, Mala Sasime Health Centre, Ecumenical Centre,Ultra Modern Motor Park, Joint Task Force,International Stadium, Glory Drive Express way,amongst others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By David Owei,Bayelsa Palpable tension is mounting in parts of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, as indigenes and residents of Igbogene and the wider Epie Kingdom protest what they describe as inadequate compensation for lands acquired by the state government for public projects. In their separate reactions, community members alleged that compensation figures ranging between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[896,1889,2922],"class_list":["post-12548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law-crime","tag-communities","tag-destruction","tag-displacement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12548"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12549,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12548\/revisions\/12549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}