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Property owners in Bayelsa appeal for payment of compensation

By on September 30, 2013

Governor DicksonResidents of Kaima in Bayelsa, whose properties were acquired by the state government for the construction of Kaima Model Secondary School, have appealed to the state government to compensate them.

Mr Alawei Basuo, Coordinator of the affected property owners in Kaima, made the appeal in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa, decrying the delay in paying the compensation.

Basuo said that since their lands were acquired and their houses demolished, they had suffered untold hardship following the non-payment of the compensation.

He said that government notified the affected land owners of its intention to acquire the land for the school project in January, and urged them to submit claims for assessment.

The coordinator said that the state government promised to pay them compensation within two weeks of the submission of the claims.

“We all complied and our claims duly verified by the ministry of lands and surveys, but we have not been paid even after our houses have been demolished.

“It is unfair to mobilise and pay the contractors when the land owners who gave up their lands for the projects have not been paid,” he lamented.

He said that they were now homeless and had become liabilities to their relatives who harboured them as they could not afford lands elsewhere to build new houses.

He threatened that they might be compelled to force the contractors to suspend work on the model secondary school site.

“Since we support the idea of development, we do not wish to be seen as working against the development policy of government.

NAN recalls that the Bayelsa government had acquired the said land but the occupants remained in them since government had not shown any sign to develop them.

Gov. Seriake Dickson on Jan. 9, revoked the rights of occupancy of all parcels of land marked out in various council areas in the state for development.

NAN investigation at the state Ministry of Lands and Surveys showed that the ministry had concluded the verification of the title documents tendered by the property owners.

A competent source in the ministry who wanted anonymity however said that the plight of the property owners was regrettable because the ministry did not budget for such compensation this year.

“It is not possible for us to pay them; we have done our bit and we expect the state government to pick the bill and reduce their sufferings,” the source said. (NAN)