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JUST IN: We can’t cope with hazards of trailer park, jettison proposal, Abia community tells Otti
“Our people of Umuvo gave you our support in the election. We are also a law abiding community. Our only plea is that you take this project to a free area that is not densely populated by the rural dwellers because of the dangers associated with it.”
Locals of Umuvo Community in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, have appealed to Gov. Alex Otti, to jettison the proposal to site a trailer park in the community, saying they cannot contend with the associated hazards.
The appeal was contained in a letter to the Governor signed by the President of Umuvo Progressive Union, Lagos branch, Chikaodi Amanze; the Secretary, Ikenna Ezindu; and Patron, Okechukwu Nathan, and made available to Vanguard.
They argued that the community is densely populated, hence, siting a trailer park with its attendant hazards would endanger the lives and security of the people.
The letter read in part: “We have just been informed of a purported plan by the Abia State Government to forcefully acquire over 9/5 hectares of ancestral land belonging to some families within our community for the purposes of establishing a trailer park.
“This land is at Umuvo, around former Basic Gas and near the Naval Base in Owerrinta, Isiala Ngwa South LGA.
“Our grouse is that two places had earlier been earmarked for this purpose around Aro Ngwa Junction by the previous administrations, on a free area that is not closely inhabited by the community people.
“The proposed park at Umuvo is at a very busy area in the heart of rural dwellers and in the central area of our community. There are so many dangers associated with this incursion into our community. Apart from displacing families from their natural and ancestral homes, the proposed park will occasion a lot of environmental hazards that will not augur well with our people”.
The locals noted with concern, the rising wave of criminality around Lokpanta axis that already has a trailer park.
“We all know the atrocities going on at Umunnochi/Lokpanta axis of the state and Eleme in Port Harcourt because of trailer parks. More so, trailer park will bring kidnapping, prostitution, hard drug peddling, cattle grazing on people farms, robbery, killing and all kinds of crimes in the entire Isiala Ngwa by the time it becomes operational.
“Our people cannot contend with herdsmen menace. They cannot contend with the hostilities of their new guests. They cannot contend with the physical dangers associated with a trailer park.
“These are the dangers against which we are appealing to His Excellency to remove this ‘cancer’ from our midst and take it back to the original location that has been mapped out for it after a thorough environmental assessment and safety evaluation exercise.
“Our people of Umuvo gave you our support in the election. We are also a law abiding community. Our only plea is that you take this project to a free area that is not densely populated by the rural dwellers because of the dangers associated with it.”
“We anticipate your re-think and withdrawal of this unhealthy disruption of our community”, the letter ended.
