HRM Ogiame Atuwaise III, You Cannot Give What You Don’t Have
By Chief (Barr.) Malcolm Omirhobo
LAGOS MARCH 27TH (NEWSRANGERS)-I was amused when I read of HRM Ogiame Atuwase III, donation of 52 hectares of land to 90 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army for the construction of a barracks accommodation for officers and men of the battalion in Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. On the basis of the fact that an hectare of land is 15 plots of land, it therefore means that the traditional ruler is giving out 780 plots of land to the Nigerian Army in the face of development and population growth that has put pressure on available land in Delta State and Koko in particular.
In as much as I endorse the traditional ruler seeing security as everybody’s business , his support for the Nigerian Army and his encouragement of communities to support all security agencies to ensure peace, eliminate criminal activities and enhance socio-economic development; nevertheless I query the wisdom behind his giving out that magnitude of land belong to the people of Koko to the Army . To me It doesn’t make sense in the interest of the people of Koko and their unborn generations.
The above brings me to the questions : whether the land so donated belongs to the Olu or various individuals , families and communities in Koko? Whether the Olu has the power to unilaterally donate 780 plots of land to the Army ? What are the role of the Warri North Local Government , the Delta State State Government , the Nigerian Army and the Federal Government of Nigeria in this transaction? Is Olu an absolute monarch ? Is this transaction a public or private transaction? These questions are begging for answers.
It is my take that the Nigerian Army do not need the gift of land from the Olu. If the Army needs land for its use, the Federal Government will simply acquire it by way of compulsory acquisition as provided for in the constitution from the land owners for public purposes and interest and consequently compensate the land owners .
In view of the above, I ask communities in the Koko axis to be wary of this move because this is may just be an attempt to grab adjoining land as it is common practice these days of monarchs in Nigeria who claim to own communities, individuals and families land in their domain without any foundation . In the extant case, I verily say unto the Olu: ‘Nemo dat quod non habet ‘. That is to say , you cannot give what you don’t have .
The people of Koko do not have enough land for their unborn generations to farm on , build industries and dwell on so why give out that much land to the Army ? Why not get business partners to build industries or to carry on mechanised farming on the land to engage the youths and the grass root people on the land?
Instead of getting Engineers and bulldozers to clear the land for the construction of Army barracks why not clear the land for agriculture or the citing of industries to positively engage and impact on the youths and the people in the rural areas ? Why not build cheap and affordable accommodation for the people? .
If the Nigerian Defence Academy and other major barracks in the Northern part of the country can be successfully invaded by criminals and the North is till date experiencing kidnapping , killings , raping , robbing , destruction of properties etc then what is the big deal about having an Army barracks built on 780 plots of land in Koko , Delta State for security purpose . I am of the view that the socio economic impart that the barracks will bring is a far cry from what the people will benefit if the land is put into use for their well-being . Once the people of Koko and environs are economically empowered there will be little or no crime there.
Chief (Barr.) Malcolm Omirhobo, a Human Right Lawyer writes from Lagos
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Posted by News Rangers
on Mar 27 2022. Filed under National.
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