ABANDONED PROPERTIES STILL UNRESOLVED

There was this older man that came to graduate school in the 70s and some of us wondered why he would leave Nigeria to study at his age. Little did we know that same age would catch up with us fast. He told us he was getting ready for the future. We later learned he was a big time private physician in Nigeria that lost it all in a city close by his hometown. This is 2012 and he has not recovered his properties in his very old age.

Credit must be given to those credit is due. Many properties have been returned after the war all over Nigeria and the western part of the Country returned all abandoned properties to their owners. Even most of the rents collected were put in escrow for the owners and in some cases, owners went to court and got back their past rent or evicted free loader occupiers.

There are stories that are best left untold and buried. Indeed, raising it incur the wrath of the victims and their dispossessors. It should not prevent people of goodwill or activists from pursuing it. When brothers and sister gather into one room and cannot tell one another the truth, they are fooling themselves, according to a local proverb. Yet, many have moved on or even gone back and rebuild.*

The corrupt atmosphere in Nigeria these days has made matters even worse. As for properties that were not returned immediately after the war owners may encounter a harder process in repossessing their properties. It has never been easy but today, these owners have to deal with desperadoes whose only goal in life is to dupe their fellow men. They work harder at dispossessing others than they do working for their own.

Therefore, it is a shame that we hardly hear about abandoned properties anymore when in fact people are still struggling to get them back. It is not a popular story and the numbers of those owners that are still alive are dwindling but their children, like other children fight over yet to be claimed properties. Before they fight one another or spend money in court on lawyers, some have to consider what returns the properties give.

It may be easier on young men then to discount their loss but very difficult for an old man at the point of pension. Indeed, our friend or father that said he came to study was probably looking for something to occupy his mind before going crazy. It is easier for this writer to understand because he has got to the age of the old man then. We still hear about him but we never stopped wondering if he would get his property back.

There are so many situations we realize in our older age especially when we get to the age of our parents. We wondered in amazement at what our parents went through in the same situations. It is even more so for those of us that were rascals to deal with. So abandoned properties are not just material wealth, they are pensions of those that worked very hard in their younger days, to take care of families and children.

There are many ways of looking at this situation without being indifferent. Children of the very rich are divided on what to do with their parents’ properties. Many left them to their siblings and started a new way of life on their own. But those that remain in the Country catching hell of a time, stand by their parents’ inheritance. There are those that are not even around to lay claim to anything or give away their share of the rent.

The difference is that if you leave your inheritance to your siblings, it is your choice but not when abandoned properties are taken away by those that are not entitled to them. It is a spite in the face to watch others claim what is not rightfully theirs but yours. The personal problems facing many have reduced their sympathy for others, especially if it is about someone else belonging of more than 40 years ago.

Instead of arguing about who won the civil war by local champions of Fulani, Yoruba or Igbo, we should focus on the fact that the war ended and abandoned property returned to the rightful owners. The Igbo won the war before it even started in the hearts of Nigerians since it was their blood that were spilled in greater numbers. But Ojukwu, as a typical Nigerian, did not know when to stop. Whatever, less than Aburi accord, he won.

Nevertheless, the spirit of returning abandoned properties in the old Western Nigeria must be cultivated in other parts before we can adequately heal the wounds of war. We see different and more horrendous reasons for war these days greater than what led to war then. We are reduced to the point where a terrorist, Alhaji Dokunbo that was given prominence by a meeting he held with Obasanjo, warned Hausa and Igbo about Yoruba.

There are still many abandoned properties around his areas but there are none on any soil in Yoruba land. If President Ebele has the balls, since he has the power, let him return all the abandoned properties to their owners starting from his village. Nigerian civil war ended in 1970, we are still on abandoned properties in 2012. Unfortunately, owners of those properties still do not want to be reminded of who their friends are.

Oh well, well! Dokunbo may and may not reflect the thinking around President Ebele as the traditional ally of the North afraid of being displaced by his Yoruba cousins. It tells you how fast people forget their benevolent ascension to power. There is nothing to fear about the Yoruba but the fear of your own shadows. If Tinubu’s ally scared you to death, Yoruba consider him a devil, but that may be exactly what you need; fire for fire!

The Yoruba spirit of returning abandoned property remains as part of accommodating culture for anybody to tap, may you be Hausa, Igbo, Efik or Beron as long as you do it gracefully. Every Nigerian knows it, use it and enjoy it, but they do not want to acknowledge it. *The well is running dry amongst the younger generations that do not understand or even care about the relationships between each ethnic group.

Farouk Martins Aresa*


http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/main-square/72163-abandoned-properties-still-unresolved.html

Touching.

There are stories that are best left untold and buried. Indeed, raising it incur the wrath of the victims and their dispossessors. It should not prevent people of goodwill or activists from pursuing it. When brothers and sister gather into one room and cannot tell one another the truth, they are fooling themselves, according to a local proverb. Yet, many have moved on or even gone back and rebuild.

cant make head or tail of the write up.

are you abusing yoruba or sucking up to them.

besides, i thought the abandoned properties in question, were eventually returned, or didnt i read something like that on nl.

This will continuously be a bleep on the image of the south south, they shd quietly compensate the victims, Rivers state alone could do it, it will barely cost a few hundred million, cost of resurfacing a back alley.

Please just direct your attention to where properties are being held, do not turn this to bashing where no properties are being held.

are you abusing yoruba or sucking up to them.

It is unfortunate abandon property saga was only instituted in the defunct eastern Nigeria and Port Harcourt to be precise. The issue was planted as seed of discontent among the close-related neighbors. I do not blame Gowon and his cohorts from northern, western and mid-western region but those easterners who joined forces to perpetuate such inhuman treatment. Ndigbo shall never forget!!!

The abandon property is akin to the knife scare on human palm which will always remind the carrier the source of the scare.