Airport: Abia Govt Meets Nsulu Landowners, Sorts out Issues of Compensations

Abia State Government says it has paid compensation for the land owners of the Abia Airport project whose land are located along the runway.

The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba disclosed this on Friday at Abia Airport project site, Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North LGA when he paid a fact – finding visit to Nsulu people in company of the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr. Cjaka Chukwumerije and other top government officials.

The visit follows a protest by some group of villagers, who this week, complained about not receiving compensation from the government

Ajagba described an exception case for those who are yet to receive theirs, adding that they would be attended to on case-by-case basis.

“We discovered that it’s not that they have not been paid, but some of them have challenges with either their accounts or maybe they have not completed the mandatory indemnity certificate that will enable them to get paid,” Ajagba said.

“Everybody will get paid. For now, we are concentrating on the runway. We have paid about 3,500 people. And it will continue to get to everybody as they come around to complete their indemnity certificates.”

Ajagba, who noted that the Nsulu people are not opposed to the airport project, thanked the host community for the kind of cooperation they are giving the government.

He assured them that the government “will continue to make sure that whatever agreements, whatever things that are due to them, will always get to them.”

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr. Chaka Chukwumerije reemphasised that government has paid every land owner within the runway.

“The payment we are doing for now is for those within the runway and most people within that runway have been paid. If you are within the runway and you haven’t been paid, it is an exception.

“If you are missed out within the runway, your name is in the final report. And by the end of the month (September 2025), the final report of everybody outside of the runway will be paid.

He enjoined anyone who has signed indemnity certificate but has not been paid to submit his name to him.

Responding, a community leader, Mr. Echezola Ukaumunna appreciated the visit of the government officials, noting that their visit has corrected a lot of misconceptions and misinterpretations.

He however blamed the misunderstanding on their traditional ruler, who he said has not communicated the people effectively.

In their various contributions some of the land owners, including, Onyenmaobi Nwairo, Isaac Frank, Chief Isaac Ndubuisi, John Aliche among others, expressed satisfaction with the explanations they received.