Imo  communities reject  180 Million Dollar Agric Project, alleges RUGA Project

From  Victor  Duruamaku  Owerri

Imo Communities by name, Ejemekwuru,Agwa, Akabor, Umuofor,and Izombe, all in Oguta Local government Area of Imo State, unanimously rejected with vehemence, the proposed 180Million Dollars, agricultural project to be cited in there area by the Federal Government

The Communities cried out on noticing the arrangements by the Imo State  Government to take over their ancestral land for the proposed project alleging that the said  proposed   project  is a Ruga settlement

Dismissing the project, the communities and their leaders described the project  as a “Trojan horse” that would spell doom to their rising and future generations if allowed

The communities  spoke through their various leaders   urged the government to take the project to other parts of the state as according to them, it is a greek offer to their communities and would not be accepted

Invariably, the state government has allayed the fears of the apprehensive indigenes of the oil bearing agricultural communities, describing the rumoured Ruga project as baseless,

Chanting solidarity songs with fresh palm fronds and placards some of which read “Our land is not for crop farming and residential purposes”. “Agwa people say No to Ruga, livestock farming or the like’s.“Ohaoma people say No to this offer, we don’t want it”. “Akabor people say No for Ruga livestock farming or cattle rearing”

We no go gree, we no go gree and no vacant land for agro allied farm project, please leave our farm lands alone”.

“Akabor/Ohaoma reject any agric/farm land project in their area, the aggrieved indigenes stormed  the premises of the community primary school Ejemekwuru where the state deputy governor, professor placid Njoku, on behave of governor Hope Udodinma moved mountains to disabuse their minds but  all to no avoid.

“Njoku-a professor of agricultural science and premier vice chancellor of the Michael Okpara Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike Abia State, addressing the people, explained that the proposed 180 million Dollar project to be executed by the federal government in collaboration with the African Development Bank code named Special Agro Processing zone (SAP2) had nothing to do with the  controversial Ruga settlement.

“It is a Special Agro Industrial Processing Zone and the 36 states of the federation competed for it. Imo was one of the last to compete for it and is one of the selected states for the first phase of the project and we should be proud to be one of the states selected.

Our state is No 2 in the series and the only one in the southeast”

Upon completion, the deputy governor assured that the project would among other things, open the gate for massive development and transformation, production of poultry, pig, maize and soya beans and also provide gainful employment to about 3,000 unemployed indigenes of the areas in addition to the production of animal feeds.

Continuing, Professor Njoku said “this project is in the overall interest of your communities and it has nothing to do with Ruga and anybody linking it with Ruga is simply being mischievous and is crying wolf where there is none. It is in your own interest and upon completion, It will place your communities on world map as tourism destinations”.

The deputy governor whose views were corroborated by a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Goodluck Nana Opia, former majority leader of the State  House of Assembly,Chief Jones Uzoka, Special Adviser to governor Hope Uzodinma on Tourism, Nkem Nwankwo as well as a former” commissioner for Special Duties FN Dibiagwu  added that the  project had been established in a number of African countries in line with global quest for modernity, transformation and food security – a submission that was however rejected by the  people.