The Kaduna State Government has begun the payment of 30 per cent compensation to 1,133 owners of parcels of land acquired for the government’s development projects.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the compensation is an offer of grants (allocation letters) to the land owners, under the Land Swap Compensation Policy along the Rigasa-Mando Link Road of the Western sector development plan of Kaduna State.
Issuing the allocation letters to the beneficiaries on Tuesday in Kaduna, the Director General of Kaduna Geographic Information Service, Dr Bashir Ibrahim, said the exercise marked the fulfilment of promises made by Governor Uba Sani.
He said the gesture was aimed at relieving the plight of the affected landholders.
Ibrahim added that beneficiaries of the policy would continue to enjoy a complete waiver of application processing fees of N20,000 and a premium of N500 per square metre of land.
“Previously, the list of batch VIl beneficiaries was approved under the 30 per cent rate in the same area and today we are flagging off the distribution of 1, 146 allocations to 1,133 landholders who participated in the exercise for the development of the state.
“The list of the beneficiaries shall be at local government secretariats, district heads and KADGIS office for further verification”, he said.
The DG said as directed by the governor, KADGIS would remain focused on expediting action until every landholder collected their 30 per cent compensation.
He said the government demanded the National Identity Numbers (NINs) to ensure that those to be compensated were the actual owners of the lands.
Also, the Director of Land Administration of KADGIS, Mr Umar Abubakar, said the compensation was hitherto in the form of cash but the government later felt it was better to pay the compensation with land.
“The value of the lands given as compensation comes in multiple forms; one may get as much as 10 times the value of his farmland from the 30 per cent”, he said.
The District Head of Rigasa, Alhaji Umar Idris, thanked the state government for the compensation.
He said it relieved them of accusations of betrayal by their followers, who thought they conspired with the government to seize their lands.
