NSULU Stakeholders Forum (NSF) has called on the Federal Government (FG) to first conduct a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before going ahead with the proposed Abia Airport in Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North Local Council of Abia State.

NSF said while it was not opposed to the airport, sitting it in densely populated communities in Nsulu would be harmful to the lives of members of the communities and those yet unborn.

It also expressed its support for a petition by the Nsulu communities through their counsel, Mr Sylvester Okonkwo, to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Inspector General of Police, Director General of Department of State Services (DSS) and National Security Adviser (NSA) over what they described as land grabbing by the Abia State government.

The affected Nsulu communities are Ikputu, Umuikeocha Umuode, Umuezeukwu, Umuogu, Uwaoma/Ikoo Umuosu, Umuata Umuosu, Umule Umuosu, Okpulorukwu Umuosu, Umuodeche, Ubaha, Umuala, Umuezenta Nbawsi, Mbubo and Umuomainta Nbawsi.

The group noted that the communities are the owners of the hectares of land sought to be taken over by the state government for the proposed ‘Abia Airport Project. ’

NSF said: “We want to put it on record that while we are not against President Bola Tinubu’s government sitting another airport in Igbo land, we must caution that it must not be at the expense of the lives of Nsulu people. “From the area being proposed for the airport, we can confirm that it is in between many densely populated communities. The airport will be some meters away from villagers’ homes and we believe that for a project of such magnitude, a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) must first be conducted to know its impact on the lives of the people in the communities.

“Also, we see the sitting of the proposed airport project in Nsulu as a ploy by people who feel Nsulu people have nobody to fight for them to grab their land.” The group recalled that land was secured under former Abia State governor, Theodore Orji, for the project, but the current governor, Alex Otti, said the place has been built up. “We also know that another place was secured for the airport project under former Governor Okezie Ikpazu in 2015 and 2022. Instead of Governor Otti consolidating on the place, he opted to look for another place altogether, and sadly, based on wrong advice, is considering Nsulu, which is densely populated. “This is the first time in the history of airport projects in Nigeria that an airport is being proposed for a densely populated area, where the communities would be meters away from the airport,” NSF said.

The group, therefore, appealed to Tinubu through the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Kayemo, to urgently order EIA before any consideration of the Nsulu site.

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