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By Joe EffIong, Uyo
It appears that the good intention of the Federal Government to reconstruct the dilapidated Calabar – Itu highway into a dual carriage way has resulted in sorrow and tears for some of the property owners along that road.
Mostly affected are the inhabitants of Anne village in Oku Iboku, the host community of the moribund Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company (NNMC), in which the demand for compensation has gone from that of managed destruction of properties due to the expansion of work on the road to that of collateral damage occasioned by the construction company’s alleged inexperience in destroying people’s properties even after evaluation had been concluded.
However, the site engineer of the construction company, Sermatech Nigeria Limited, Chibuzor Ihenacho, told Daily Sun at Oku Iboku, that he was not aware of any damage to or destruction of any filling station. He said such has not been brought to his notice, even though he wouldn’t know whether it has been officially communicated to the headquarters of the company.
It was alleged that the company’s obstruction of free flow of drain and re-directing of flood from its natural channel into peoples’ properties in the community has caused enormous damage. Affected are farm produce, churches, residential buildings and a petrol service station in Anne village, Oku-Iboku.
One of those alleged to be seriously affected is Abasiama Udofia, who owns a service station at Anne village. It was alleged that Udofia had earlier submitted a demand for compensation to the tune of N250 million through the federal controller of works in the state to the minister of works and housing on of August 15, for alleged “wanton destruction by Sermatech Nig Ltd of the property.”
According to his lawyer, Mr Mfon Udeme, the demand was a consequence to the fact “that a part of our client’s property properly described in the Survey Plan No: JEJ/AK/554 was earlier marked for compensation with Code No: FMWH/CI/OKI/001/RHS.
“That several years after the marking aforesaid, no action or payment was made to our client to aid the partial re-adjustment of that part of his property to give right of way for the ongoing construction.
“That in the course of execution of the construction work, the activities of the contractor has worsened the already bad situation to the extent that the company recklessly obstructed free flow of drains carelessly re-directed storm water from its natural channel into our client’s property leading to wanton/total submergence of our client petrol service station.
“That as a result of the submergence of the aforesaid, the parameter fence of our client’s petrol service station had been pulled down by the flood and the surrounding structures affected, including the underground storage tanks, effect of which is the total/complete destruction of our client’s property beyond redemption.”
But at the expiration of the 21 days ultimatum given government to pay the N250 million, the lawyers fired another demand, not only for the payment of the initial sum, but additional N170 million for further additional damage and abrupt shutdown of the station which they say, have resulted in in monumental loss of daily income to their clients.
The second demand notice pointed out that the federal ministry of works and housing had failed, neglected and or refused to honour the initial demand for N250 million which was “founded upon your earlier wanton destruction of a part of our client property as a result of your reckless construction activities executed without regard to laid down laws and the interest of the masses.
“Unfortunate saying your aforesaid despicable activities have worsened the already terrible situation with further destruction/damages resulting from your channeling storm water to our client’s property thereby resulting in further damage of the entire station itself, contamination of product valued at about N170 million and a complete shutdown of the station leading to further daily loss of income so far totaling about N50 million.
“In the light of the foregoing, this notice therefore, serves to remind you of our earlier demand for payment of the sum of N250million only in the first instance, then this further demand that you pay damages to tune of N170million in respect of the contaminated product and the sum of N50million only to cover the daily loss of revenue so far suffered by our client.
“Meanwhile, be hereby informed that this notice shall serve as notice of intention to sue should you fail, neglect or refuse to act as herein demanded within 14 days from the service of this notice on you,” the demand notice said.
Udofia said he has been totally ruined by the construction and as such urgently needs a quick resolution of the matter by the Federal Government.
He said: “I am an orphan who has been struggling throughout my life to make a living genuinely without involving in any crime.
“I embarked on the petroleum business as a last resort after so many other businesses I tried had failed. I fainted on hearing and witnessing how my petrol service station has been rendered useless and unserviceable due to the flood. The ravaging flood did not only pull down the fence, but had equally damaged and contaminated the entire products inside the underground tanks making them unfit to sell to members of the public.”
All his staff are also in a sorrowful mood. Mr. Kufre Martins, a pump attendant at the station, said: “Six of us who are staff were shocked to see what happened to our only source of livelihood; we were dumbfounded. Up till now, we don’t know where else to go to and how and when we could be employed to keep surviving without involving in criminal activities.”
It is not only Udofia who is affected by the reconstruction of the Calabar -Odukpani -Itu Road, in Anne village in Oku Iboku. A widow, Iquo Asuquo, lamented how her waterleaf farm was swept away by the flood. She said the situation has thrown her into confusion on how she would survive with her children.
Another person, an elder of The Apostolic Church sharing the same boundary with the service station, said the flood has caused a lot of damage to the church premises. The elder, who however opted to remain anonymous, said: “Immediately the flood succeeded to pull down the station’s fence, our church was flooded.”
The community accused the construction company of using military personnel to forcefully conduct the demolition of their properties even when the issue of compensation had been resolved.
The youth president of Oku-Iboku, who gave his name simply as Mr Hansen, said the company was reckless and nonchalant in its approach to destroying people’s properties, stressing that but for strident appeal to the youths, it could have resulted in a violent revolt.
He said: “It was uncalled for to molest the natives with military personnel in the course of demolishing their properties; that cannot be done anywhere and they go scot-free. We are peace-loving people who respect the rule of law.”
Daily Sun, however, learnt that the property owners and Sermatech Nig. Ltd had a meeting at the palace of the paramount ruler of Itu, Edidem Edet Akpan Inyang, to proffer solution to the problem. There, it was allegedly revealed by the company that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing had given the property valuer and consultant, authority to settle all claimants.
The property owners had however demanded the valuation report as approved by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
Ihenacho told Daily Sun: “I don’t have that story. But as a journalist, you can do your independent investigation to see if the allegation is true or not. For me I don’t have any knowledge that we destroyed any filling station, or that we channeled water into any filling station, except if it is lodged at the headquarters.”
The head of the company in Akwa Ibom, Joe Ukpata, said on telephone that it was even impossible for the construction activities to cause damage to peoples properties since the road is on a sloped area and has side drains into a river.
When contacted, the federal controller of works in Akwa Ibom, Gabriel Akinwade, initially said he would not speak on the issue on phone. But he later said: “When I’m ready to speak on it I will call you.”
But more than two weeks after, Akinwade has not called even as the property owners continue to gnash their teeth in frustration.
