Kehinde Fajobi
The lawmaker representing Nkanu East State Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Okechukwu Mbah, has explained why the Enugu State government halted work on the construction of a Biomass-Based Methanol Plant by the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
According to Mbah, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, allegedly used the project as a pretext for a land grab, which was strongly resisted by the Amagunze community in Nkanu East Local Government Area.
Mbah claimed the minister initially purchased a nearby parcel of land for personal use, later attempting to take over disputed land between the Amagunze community in Nkanu East and the Akpugo community in Nkanu West for the federal project.
“The minister behaved suspiciously by failing to notify either the Enugu State government or the local councils of Nkanu East and Nkanu West about the project,” Mbah stated.
He further alleged that Nnaji knew about the ongoing land dispute and still proceeded to name the project site as part of Akpugo community, causing outrage among the Amagunze people.
The lawmaker said the Amagunze community reported the issue to the Enugu State government, leading to the suspension of construction at the site.
Speaking to journalists in Enugu, Mbah urged President Bola Tinubu to investigate the minister’s actions and resolve the controversy.
“There was no due diligence on the part of the minister. We are not against federal government projects coming to our community; in fact, we have more vast land for any project, but due process should be followed,” Mbah said.
He also criticised the absence of an Environmental Impact Assessment for the project, raising concerns about potential waste management issues.
Mbah called on the Enugu State Boundary Committee to intervene and clarify the boundary between the two communities to prevent further conflict.
“We’re asking the boundary committee to address the demarcation between the two communities in two different local government councils to save conflict in the area,” he appealed.