Concerned stakeholders of Nimbo community in Uzo Uwani Local Government of Enugu State have welcomed the resilutions reached at the Nimbo General Meeting held on February 3, 2025, regarding the proposed acquisition of 7,221 hectares of farmland by Fung Tai Engineering Limited through the state government.
Recently, the news broke that Enugu State Government and Fung Tai Engineering Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), for the production of cash crops on 7,221 hectares of agricultural land at Ugwuijoro, Nimbo in line with Governor Peter Mbah’s vision to ramp up agriculture and agro-industrialisation, boost security, and create employment.
This announcement did not go down well with the community who say they were not carried along in the process leading the said MoU between the government and the company and demanded a copy of the MoU.
This has prompted series of meetings with representatives of the state government to find a soft landing on the issue.
In a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and secretary, Concerned Nimbo Stakeholders, Barr. Ambrose Okey and Okey Enechi respectively, the group said the general meeting of February 3 2025 demonstrated Nimbo’s tradition of consultation, dialogue, and peaceful resolution of issues.
They said they aligned themselves with the remarks of Eze Nimbo, Igwe John Akor (Agaba Idu), made during a meeting on January 31, 2025, emphasizing that land ownership in Nimbo resides with individual families, clans, and villages, not the community collectively. They implored the promoters of the acquisition to transparently engage with the actual landowners to avoid future inter-communal conflict or any form of tribal war.
They also called for caution, transparency and inclusivity in all the processes leading to the said land acquisition.
The stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to participating in discussions that will advance Nimbo and prevent future intra-community crises.
According to the statement, “We are particularly happy with the resolutions that the community must have access to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) executed by the state government with Fung Tai Engineering Limited, and that the existing aerial survey map should be discarded in favour of a traditional land survey map.”
They emphasized that access to the MOU will enable the community to understand the state’s agreements and prepare for key agreements with the company.
They further noted that conducting a traditional land survey will allow for clear delineation of the proposed project area, establishing land ownership and clearly setting boundaries. This they say will prevent intra-community crises.
“While welcoming the decisions reached at the general meeting, we however call for caution, transparency, and inclusiveness as the stakeholder engagement process moves forward,” they said.
They also expressed concern about reports of threats, intimidation, and cajoling directed at members of the community with divergent views on the proposed acquisition.
They emphasized the importance of encouraging open dialogue and addressing the concerns of all stakeholders.
Specifically, the stakeholders noted the hesitations expressed by women’s groups, youth, and other stakeholders from villages, clans, and families who directly own portions of the land purportedly included in the earmarked area. These hesitations and complaints, they stated, stem from trust issues related to the process thus far and past experiences regarding land acquisition in Nimbo, including the unresolved issue of the “New Nimbo” project.
The stakeholders reiterated their previous call for a transparent, robust, and inclusive stakeholder engagement process, urging all participants to be truthful to the community. They also insist that it is proper that the process is not rushed but given enough time for the community to consult properly to ensure that everybody needed to be consulted is consulted.