No fewer than 13 communities in Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State, have voiced strong opposition to the proposed siting of the Abia Airport within their villages. The communities have warned that the project, if not halted immediately, could displace millions of inhabitants and deprive them of farmland critical for feeding their families.
The affected communities include Ikputu, Umuikeocha Umuode, Umuezeukwu, Umuogu, Uwaoma/Ikoo Umuosu, Umuata Umuosu, Umule Umuosu, Okpulorukwu Umuosu, Umuodeche, Ubaha, Umuala, Umuezenta Nbawsi, Mbubo, and Umuomainta Nbawsi. These communities are the traditional owners of the hectares of land earmarked for the proposed Abia Airport Project.
According to the communities, constructing an airport in a densely populated area is both impractical and harmful, as it disregards critical Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). They claim that numerous buildings, ancestral homes, shrines, churches, natural features, and burial grounds of their forefathers have already been marked for demolition.
Furthermore, they argue that the project would threaten their primary source of livelihood, small farmlands located less than 2 kilometers from the proposed site. The communities emphasized that alternative, suitable areas had been previously acquired for the same purpose by past administrations, which should be utilized instead.
The communities warned that proceeding with the current plan could lead to the destruction of their villages and cause irreparable damage. Their legal counsel, Mr. Sylvester Okonkwo, has filed petitions to several key authorities, including the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the National Security Adviser (NSA). In these petitions, they stressed that they are not against the airport project itself but oppose its proposed location in their densely populated area. They argue that previously acquired, less populated sites should be used instead.
One of the petitions addressed to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace highlighted the history of the land acquisition for an airport project in the region. It noted that under the then Government of Imo State, led by Governor Sam Mbakwe, large tracts of land were acquired at Owerrinta in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area for an airport. However, the project was later relocated to Ngor Okpala near Owerri, leaving the Owerrinta land unutilized.
Additionally, the petition pointed out that in 2015 and 2022, under Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration, the Abia State Government acquired another large expanse of land in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area for the proposed Abia Airstrip. This land spans across Umuode Nsulu, Ikputu Nsulu, Umuodeche Nsulu, Umuogu, and Umuezeukwu Nsulu, among other areas.
It was voluntarily relinquished by the communities, with Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) issued by the government and approval granted by the Ministry of Aviation for the project. The petition argued that this land, which remains largely uninhabited, is still available and more suitable for use as it poses minimal environmental and social risks.
The communities urged the government to reconsider and utilize these already-acquired lands for the proposed airport, citing their suitability and compliance with environmental standards. They questioned the rationale behind relocating the project to a highly populated area in Nsulu, emphasizing the negative implications of such a decision on the environment, public health, and their cultural heritage.
