People of Ugwuaji Awkunanaw community , Enugu South local area in Enugu state, have appealed to Enugu state Governor, ,Dr. Peter Mbah to intervene and stop government officials from taking their ancestral lands in the name of urbanisation, lamenting that their children have no land left to build on.
Pix: Ugwuaji Awkunanaw traditional ruler, HRH Igwe Nwobodo
The community also lamented that their ancestral lands were taken from them and were being allocated to “strangers” at the cost of N8mllion per plot.
They made the appeal in a letter written to the managing director of Enugu state geographic information system servive ( ENGIS) Chiwetali Nwatu, in response to the letter he earlier wrote to the traditional ruler of the Community on 2nd October,2025, captioned: ‘Request for land allocation details at Ndafune, Ugwuaji,with reference number, ENS/GIS/ CE/ 2025/10/04.
The letter which was read to the community at the meeting and made available to newsmen , urged the traditional ruler to provide details of their land allocations within Ndafune areas , stating adequate information that will enable them determine ownership
The traditional ruler read their reply to the community during a meeting of Ugwuaji Assembly held at the weekend in Ugwuaji
He also read the allocation advertisement from ENGISS, with the caption,”Enugu state Geographic information system service. Now allocating independence layout, choice of plot is on the basis of first come first serve”
The advertisement read:
” Enugu state geographic information system servive now allocating independence layout, phase 3 ,phase 4 ,phase 5. Choice of plot is on the basis of first come, first serve.. N8m, Cof O ,survey plan and infrastructure fees”
Reacting to the advertisement , the community said they cannot afford N8m for a plot of land. They appealed to the governor to intervene and help them recover their lands.
In their reply to the letter from ENGIS, the community emphasised that the land advertised for sale ” is the native land of Ugwuaji Awkunanaw”.
The community made observations, highlighted some of their lands taken without compensation, and the ones with compensation. They alleged that the land allocated to them as their. inheritances in 1992 were being reallocated.. They also said there were no security threats in Ugwuaji Awkunanaw as ENGIS Managing director wrote in his letter
The letter in parts
Some of the people who spoke with newsmen, Rev . Osita Ngene, Mrs Rebecca Egwuwegbe, said the only land the were taken away from them. They ,appealed to Governor Mbah to intervene.and help them recover their lands.
Enugu Government speaks:
In a swift reaction, the managing director of the Enugu State Geographic Information System Servive, Chiwetalu Nwatu, in an interview with Newsline Globally, said they were sanitizing land acquisition I’m Enugu state and will not allow people to be defrauded.. He noted that there were so many land issues in Ugwuaji and they affect our investors.
“I work for the state and everything am doing the state is aware. We called everybody in Ugwuaji, come and bring the documents of your allocations so we can align what we have. Why does government exist? If you decided to buy a land and you are defrauded, how would you feel?
“What we are trying to do is to clean up the mess in land acquisition in this state and instill confidence in investors. . What we are trying to do is to make sure that every land sale is genuine
The managing director who announced that ENGIS won geophysics information award two days ago in Abuja, attributed the success to transparency.
“We are as transparent as ever. In the letter I wrote to them I asked them to bring their documents A lot of people had been defrauded over landed property in Enugu state. The government frowns at this. We cannot keep doing this to people. The government is not supporting it If the government does not stop it ,it means that the government is supporting it,” he said .
Nwatu said there are other communities they will sanitize.
“After Ugwuaji we are heading to other places, we are heading to Emene and Nike.
On the allegations that he was reallocating Ugwuaji lands, he said he was not reallocating Ugwuaji lands, saying, “am sure you know that there are over 70 law suits in Ugwuaji.
“The problem am having with Ugwuaji people is because I asked them to bring documents of the lands they sold. The one you said that is remaining, bring the document.That is the problem.
“Our people cannot make money in Lagos, Abuja, Anambra and come to Enugu to invest their hard earned money and they will start telling them stories.
“People bringing money in the state must not be defrauded. We must see through to this. Our people cannot continue to defraud people.. It is wrong , it is not acceptable. It is not inline with our vision to grow our economy from 4.4Bn Dollars to 30Bn Dollars. We are intentional .We must see through to it
“Our people will not continue to defraud people. I have made it clear to everybody. The government had made it clear . We are sanitising land acquisition in Enugu state. We must be intentional. If we must grow our economy,” the ENGIS Managing Director said .
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The meeting which was presided over by the traditional ruler.of the community, HRH Igwe Chinedu Nwobodo, had the national chairman of Ugwuaji youths, Ogbodo Ozoemenam, prominent sons and daughters of Ugwuaji Awkunanaw in attendance
Highlight of the meeting was a peaceful protest by the people of the community within the primary school premises, calling for a stop in acquisition of their lands and removal of the N8 million allocation fee on their land.
Author Maureen Ikpeama
