Women of Deenagwu Umuoma Nekede community of Owerri West local government area of Imo State have warned management of Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) to leave their ancestral farmlands for them.
The people noted that the lands in question are the only lands left for them after government took their lands to build Federal Polytechnic and Police Training College and Zoological garden, hence they cautioned against grabbing their lands to enable them farm to tackle hunger
The women, who spoke to News Echo reporter through the President of Ndom Deenagwu, Umuoma Nekede, Lolo Stella Onyewuenyi, when they staged a peaceful protest at the Senate Building, FUTO, recently, stated that the management of the university invaded their farmlands, claiming ownership of the lands which were miles far away from the campus.
According to Onyewuenyi, “let FUTO leave our lands alone. Nothing connects Deenagwu Umuoma Nekede with FUTO. We decided to see the Vice Chancellor of FUTO, Prof Nnenna Oti, hence the protest. FUTO has not been helping us, our children are unemployed and FUTO still wants to take our farmlands to impoverish us the more. This is wrong. An act which goes contrary to nature and humanity, we will always stand bold to resist it from converting our ancestral lands”.
Asking FUTO to rescind its decision of encroaching into their farmlands from where they feed, former President of Ndom Deenagwu Umuoma Nekede, Lolo Celine Nkwokpara, told FUTO to vacate their farmlands entirely.
“It is bad that Deenagwu is experiencing this inhuman treatment from FUTO. I have been married for over 70 years at Deenagwu and we have not seen this kind of negligence and invasion on our farmlands before. Our lands are far from where FUTO is. We say no to FUTO grabbing of our lands instead of treating us well. It has neither empowered our youths meaningfully nor done any infrastructure for us to encourage better life”, Nkwokpara maintained.
The protesters, who chanted aggressively, wore black clothes, carried placards bearing inscriptions as: “Leave Our Earning Lands at Nekede, Umuoma Women. We Have Say On our Lands. FUTO, Leave Our Lands. Police Had Taken Our Land, Federal Polytechnic Had Taken Our Land, And Zoo Had Taken Our Land. Leave Our Only Farmlands. We Need Justice. Without Justice, No Peace. VC, Hear Us, We are Mothers like You”.
Speaking to the leaders of the protesters at the Senate Conference Room, Vice Chancellor of FUTO, Prof Nnenna Oti, told them that she does not “know anything about the lands in question” as she was not up to two months on the seat as VC, saying FUTO wants peace as it believes in justice.
Meanwhile, FUTO has gone ahead to destroy structures erected on the said portions of land ignoring protests from the women. How the conflict would be resolved remains anyone’s guess.
