Nigerian highway: Ebonyi seeks guarantees for farmland
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
The Ndiebor Ishieke community in Nigeria’s Ebonyi State is calling for enforcement of guidelines on excavation for the Calabar–Ebonyi–Enugu-Benue–Nasarawa–Abuja Superhighway. It is seeking landowners’ consent and protection for farmland, according to Vanguard, following concerns over crops damaged by the project.
Residents of Ndiebor Ishieke autonomous community in Nigeria’s Ebonyi State are calling for strict enforcement of guidelines governing material excavation along the Calabar–Ebonyi–Enugu-Benue–Nasarawa–Abuja Superhighway project, Vanguard reports. They are calling in particular for landowners’ consent, consultation with neighbouring communities, and protection for farmland and cash crops.
Nigeria’s Works Minister, David Umahi, intervened following reports of damage to farmland. In a statement signed by traditional ruler Eze Hyacinth Awoke Nwiboko and the community’s president, residents said the intervention must lead to concrete measures to protect landowners and prevent further encroachment, according to Vanguard.
The community supports the Superhighway, which it expects to improve transport and the movement of agricultural produce. However, it warns that infrastructure development must not harm the land rights, livelihoods or environmental security of neighbouring populations, the same statement said.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
