“We are not crying because they are taking laterite. We are crying because our future may not be secure if our sources of livelihood are destroyed,” he said.
He demanded that the contractors notify and negotiate with landowners before excavating laterite from farms that were not originally designated for the project.
According to him, affected farmers should receive appropriate compensation for destroyed crops, while all borrow pits should be reclaimed after excavation to prevent accidents and restore the affected areas to productive use.
The stakeholder also questioned the decision to extract laterite from the community’s forest reserve for road construction in neighbouring areas, arguing that the arrangement required further clarification and consultation with the landowners.
“We have a reserved forest belonging to our community, where suitable laterite can be sourced. We want the authorities to explain why our farmlands are being affected while the community’s reserve is available for consideration,” he said.
Okpete, however, acknowledged the efforts of President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, and Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi in facilitating development projects in the area, insisting that infrastructure development should not come at the expense of the people’s means of survival.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General of Ndiebor Ishieke Autonomous Community, Dr Patrick Nwajioha, said the community was pleased with the road project but was worried about the environmental and economic implications of the borrow-pit excavation.
Nwajioha said farmers had complained that their yam, cassava, rice and other food crops were being removed to obtain laterite for construction, despite assurances that affected farmland would be identified and consultations conducted before excavation.
He outlined the community’s principal demands to include compensation for destroyed crops, an end to excavation on cultivated farmland without prior consultation, and the reclamation of borrow pits after the construction work.
The secretary-general also questioned the use of laterite sourced from the community for construction activities in other areas, such as Ezza land, describing the arrangement as unfair to residents whose farms were being affected.
He urged the contractor to engage the traditional ruler, community leaders and individual landowners to resolve the dispute and prevent further damage to agricultural land.
Responding, the general supervisor of the construction company, Infiouest, Majed Abu Jaoude, said he would communicate the community’s grievances to the company’s management for consideration.
Jaoude said he was present as a company staff member and did not have the authority to make final commitments on the demands raised at the meeting.
He acknowledged the concerns expressed by the stakeholders and promised to relay their requests to the appropriate authorities within the company.
Similarly, Nkama Williams Chima, the liaison officer and chief security officer of Reinforced Global Resources Limited, said the representatives at the meeting would convey the community’s concerns to their principals for a response.
Chima appealed to the stakeholders to remain calm while the issues were being addressed, assuring them that the company did not deliberately intend to undermine the community’s interests.
He also said the reclamation of borrow pits would be undertaken when weather conditions were favourable for the work.
Earlier, Simon Odoh, a liaison officer for the road project, said the meeting was convened to interface with the contractor and assess the environmental concerns arising from the Federal Government’s road project in the community.
During the meeting, community representatives, including Chief Stephen Nwele, also called for the documentation of the agreed resolutions, including consultations with landowners, compensation for affected crops and the reclamation of excavated sites.
They urged the Federal Ministry of Works and the contractor to intervene promptly, warning that continued destruction of farmland without satisfactory arrangements could worsen food insecurity and economic hardship among residents.
The community maintained that it supported the construction of the superhighway but insisted that the project’s implementation should respect local land rights, protect agricultural livelihoods and provide appropriate safeguards against the dangers posed by abandoned borrow pits.
The contractor’s representatives did not announce a specific compensation package or a timeline for resolving the community’s demands at the meeting.
