By Concerned Citizen of Umuseti
Umuseti Community is blessed with abundant arable land that stretches from our boundary between Urhonigbe to Utagba Uno. This fertile soil has sustained generations of Umuseti farmers, making agriculture the cornerstone of our community’s livelihood. Our forefathers, our heroes of the past, fought valiantly to protect and preserve this land for future generations. Today, this critical asset is at risk due to reckless and shortsighted land sales that threaten to impoverish our community.
Over the past 15 years, the leadership of Umuseti has exhibited a disturbing lack of interest in preserving our land for future generations. The reckless sale of land has become a threat to the only thriving occupation in our community—farming. If this trend continues unchecked, it will lead to widespread poverty and the loss of our agricultural heritage.
Umuseti land is among the cheapest in the region, with an impression that it is only sold to indigenes at a modest price of 170,000 naira. However, individuals within our community, including current and past leaders, have been exploiting this system. They buy land at these low prices and resell it to outsiders for exorbitant amounts, violating our community’s laws without facing any consequences. This practice has enriched a few while impoverishing the many, leading to a gross inequality and unfair distribution of our land.
Evidence suggests that local leadership at various levels has acquired significant land holdings while serving the community. Therefore, it is important to carry out Land verification audit of all land sold in Umuseti since the last 15 years. However, the practice of temporarily banning and then lifting the ban on land sales has proven ineffective. It creates a false impression of action while allowing state actors to continue their reckless sales once the ban is lifted. This act is especially detrimental to those whose families only own land in the affected areas, including widows and vulnerable individuals who cannot afford to buy land at inflated prices.
The current land policy in Umuseti is riddled with inequality and corruption, lacking accountability, transparency, and proper planning. There is no clear identification of community-held land, no records of what has been sold, and no strategic plan for land use. This failure affects not only farming but also residential, recreational, and future development areas. Sadly, many well-educated individuals in Umuseti remain silent, perhaps because they can afford to buy land for themselves and their families.
As our population grows, our land does not. This unsustainable trend is a recipe for future crises, violence, and anarchy. To avert such a disaster, we must take immediate and decisive action. We call for a permanent ban on the sale land in Umuseti. This measure will protect our land, ensuring it can generate revenue for the administration and development of our community. On the other hand, it better to lease land to generate revenue and attract investment and development rather than outright sales.
We appeal to the Okpala-Ukwu in Council, the Onotu-Ukwu in Council of Umuseti, and all stakeholders to heed this call. Also, we appeal to the Okpala-Ukwu to make a pronouncement addressing these issues, to bring sanity and secure the future of Umuseti.
Together, let us preserve our land, protect our heritage, and ensure a prosperous future for generations to come.
Amb. Chuks Ododo
for Concerned Citizen of Umuseti Home and Diaspora
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