Cross River communities list Land Use Act ills, seek review

Over 30 communities in Akamkpa and Biase local government areas of Cross River state have appealed to the federal government to review the Land Use Act of 1978 which they described as “oppressive.”

According to him, it empowers governors to grab communal land with impunity.

The appeal was contained in a communiqué issued in Akamkpa shortly after a two-day workshop on Role of Women in Preserving Community Land Right, organised by Environmental Right Action/Friends of Earth Nigeria (FoEN) in collaboration with Community Forest Watch, NGO Coalition for Environment (NGOCE) and Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP).

The communiqué, which was signed by communities leaders, Mrs. Philomina Essien Umoh, Pastor William Ojobe, Ntukae Lawrencia Effiong, Patience Etim and others, argued that the Act handed communal lands to governors “who now have unhindered excessive right on and ownership of such lands without caring about paying compensation to the original native owners thereby depriving the people of their natural inheritances resulting in loss of means of livelihood and uncontrollable level of poverty.”

The communiqué listed the shortcomings of the Act as, “Non-existent of realistic land use plan for the natives, poor land management by governors, problem of social and environmental degradation of biodiversity, and loss of livelihood resulting from deforestation.”

The communities, Akpet Central, Ibogo, Akparavuni, Ehom, Ekpri Iko, Ekong Anaku, Aningeje, Mfamosing, Uwet, Akamkpa, Njagachang amongst many others, noted that the review of the Act would reduce poverty and unemployment as it would make it possible for community people to own and make use of land resources to better their live.

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