Governor Otti And Nsulu Airport Project 

By Lucky Nwankwere*

It is not for nothing that an increasing number of Nigerians are speaking out against the culture of impunity imposed on the country by the political class, which is now gradually destroying the very fabric of the society. Not only is it undermining our democracy by denying the people the right to choose who governs them and how they are governed, but it is also steadily establishing emperors as leaders all over the place.

The phenomenon is not new, but it has reached new heights and become more disturbing under Tinubu’s administration. People’s opinions on issues affecting them and the country are no longer taken seriously. Our so-called leaders are brazenly lording it over the citizens and suppressing the truth across the country without batting an eyelid.

More concerning is the fact that this culture, which is more pronounced at the centre, is rapidly spreading at the subnational level, as some state governors find it appealing and thus replicate it in their domain. Without a doubt, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) established this culture, which some other leaders have now shamefully adopted.

The Nsulu airport project has been a source of controversy for the Abia State government, with allegations of distorting facts and misleading the public. Its handling of the issues thrown up by the project, to say the least, is as appalling as it is shocking.

The point must be made that the governor,  Dr Alex Otti, truly wants to build an airport for the state, but some government functionaries are trying to use the project for land grabs. Time will tell if Otti approves of this selfish agenda. However, he promised to make the land acquisition process transparent, but what has happened thus far has been anything but that. To undiscerning minds, Nsulu people are simply troublesome and seek to stymie a noble project that will advance the state’s growth. However, the airport project involves more than just what has been projected.

Why will some state officials insist on acquiring 1,025 hectares of Nsulu land for an airport that will ultimately be built on far less than 300 hectares? Are the ancillary projects for which they want to seize additional land, totalling approximately 800 hectares, government projects? The Nsulu people, who offered 400 hectares for the airport, suspect that the ancillary projects are non-governmental.

How some government officials handle land acquisition has continued to raise concerns among those who want the government to be transparent about the airport project’s land acquisition.

The Abia government is handling the situation in the same way that politicians continue to deal with the people after they have been elected, fuelling frustration and anger among landowners.

Why would a government that promised transparency in the land acquisition process choose to negotiate with preferred individuals instead of legitimate landowners or their true representatives? Why is it starting work on the project while issues such as full compensation and a memorandum of understanding between it and the landowners remain unresolved? Instead, it has resorted to the well-known ruse of hiring people to queue behind it as it pushes through the hidden agenda in an attempt to mislead the public.

For example, when it decided to move equipment to begin the construction of an access road to the runway, it rented a group of women for N5,000 each to stage a sickening show of solidarity with it over the start of the “much awaited” project. It quickly issued a press release that included photos of alleged Nsulu landowners singing and dancing in celebration of the project’s start. What a grand deception?

 It should be noted that the authentic leader of the Nsulu landowners, Dr Max Nduaguibe, was apprehended and detained by the state police command earlier this year to make way for the project’s launch.

It is concerning that the government is attempting to seize land from farmers, who rely on it for a living. What will become of the people after the project? The same airport project has been completed in many states of the federation, including neighbouring Ebonyi and Anambra, on a much smaller landmass. What is so spectacular about the Abia airport that the Otti government demands such a large land area from the Nsulu people?

Otti is unquestionably one of the best-performing governors in the country. Indeed, his fame extends beyond Abia, where many regard him as a messiah. Aside from Senator Orji Kalu, who made a brief impression in his first term, Otti stands taller than any of his predecessors in office.

Otti, a man who has lost two previous attempts to govern Abia on the platforms of other political parties, though some believe he was rigged because it almost happened again in 2023, must be wary of many of those around him. Some of them may not be reliable allies. He should not allow anyone pursuing personal goals to demarket him.

The Nsulu airport project is threatening the governor’s popularity, at least in Nsulu, and his apparent inability to rein in some of his aides and other political operatives who are vehemently pushing the land grab agenda does not help matters.

Otti must recognise that the people overseeing this project on behalf of his government may not have his best interests in mind. They have shut their ears to superior arguments and may not be telling him the truth.

The state government continues to acquire 1,025 hectares of land without a signed memorandum of understanding with the land owners. If this is not the impunity I mentioned earlier, I am not sure what it is.

The Nsulu people are currently angry about the project’s current status. Politics has crept into the exercise, and with it, the government appears to be challenging the people. I believe the governor should be rescued from the greedy people who surround him to advance his career. I invite those who know and love him to come together for this purpose. The time to act is now before it is too late.

* Nwankwere, veteran journalist and community leader writes from Umuosu, Nsulu