https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/tension-in-asaba-over-plans-to-dislodge-arewa-community.html


There is tension in the Cable Point Area of Asaba following what
residents described as plans to evict them from the area they
claim to have resided in for over 200 years.
The development followed plans by the Delta State Government
in conjunction with a private development company, Rexwood
Nigeria Limited, to convert the area into “smart city” that will
include “leisure to playground, hotels, shopping malls, office
complexes, residency quarters and luxury apartments” in what
has been termed “New Dubai.”

Members of the community said they were approached three
months ago by one Mr. Ubaka J. Ubaka with proposals to
relocate them in order to build the New Dubai. They said they
kicked against the move because he did not provide any clear
plans for their future. “We have been living here for over 200
years,”

the Sarkin Hausa of Asaba, Alhaji Ibrahim Baba Gero
said. “I was born here. My father was born here and my
grandfather was born here. They came to trade and settled here
and this is home for us. We contribute to the economy of this
place; we have huge markets here and are engaged in legitimate
businesses. The graves of our ancestors are here and now they
are asking us to leave our houses,” he said.

Cable Point is a sprawling residential and market area in Asaba
with over 2000 houses and shops. The Hausa community said
they have about 20 houses of worship in the area and their
shops and business places.

In the last week, tensions peaked when some men came to the
community and started X-marking houses in the area. Members
of the community mobilised and chased them out.

“A week ago, some men came and started marking our houses,”
Danazumi Malam Garba, a youth leader in the area said. “We
heard rumours of this three months ago. We went to ask the DG
of the Asaba Development Authority and he confirmed that this
was the case but there is no date for the project yet. We told
him we are not interested in relocating.

“And then a week ago, some men came and started marking
houses with red paints, until they marked about 71 houses. The
Arewa community has 109 houses here. They were marking
houses and handing out power of attorney documents to
illiterate people and asking them to sign them,” he said.

The Sarkin Hausa, however, told the Daily Trust on Sunday that
the Director General of the Delta State Capital Territory
Development Agency (DSCTDA), Chief Clement Ofuani had told
them that they would be evicted from their houses to make way
from the project.
“He said we must leave,” Baba Gero said.

The development has led the community to petition the Police,
the Northern Governors’ Forum, the DG of the Department of
State Services, the Emirs of Kano and Zazzau, among others in
a letter dated 9th November, 2017 and titled “The Neferious
Activities of Ubaka Johnson Ubaka.”

In the petition, signed by the Sarkin Hausa, the community
accused Mr. Ubaka of serving “Power of attorney” in the Hausa
community of Cable Point, (Ogbe Hausa).

The residents vowed to resist any attempt to force them out of
the area.

Alh. Gero, who said his community is 30, 000-strong, insisted
that they don’t have plans to leave because they have no other
home than Cable Point, where their ancestors graves have been
buried since the 19th century.

“In compound alone, I have over 100 occupants. My father was
Sarki and he was buried here in the compound housing the
palace, same as his father. In most houses, you would find
graves. Our cemetery is also located within Cable Point and we
have over 10,000 grave sites there.

“We have reached out to our leaders in the North to intervene
and stop the Delta State Government from this planned eviction.
We have petitioned to the Sultan of Sokoto, the Arewa
Consultative Forum, the Inspector General of Police and other
security agencies.

“We have nowhere to go, all our lives we have lived here in
Cable Point, Asaba and you won’t believe it that most of our
children have never been to the North. This is not the only
Hausa community in Delta State; we have settlements in Warri,
Utomi Road, Agbor, Sapele and other major towns in the state
but Cable Point is the chief,” he said.

However, CEO of Rexwood Nigeria Limited, High Chief Ubaka
denied the allegations against him, saying that he was not
aware of any petition written against him or his company and
that his company’s plans to develop the area were well-
intentioned.

“There is no problem in Cable; there is no tension in the area,”
Mr Ubaka told the Daily Trust on Sunday yesterday. “You know
there is a market in that area and the government is saying they
want to redevelop Asaba and that area is marked to be
developed as a market.

“Government is trying to go into an agreement with us to
redevelop Asaba. Nobody is asking anyone to leave his house.
Nobody is pursuing anybody. What we are saying is that let us
look at what you have, even if it is not habitable, let the
government pay you and relocate you but most of them don’t
have documents for the houses and that is their fear.

“We don’t want government to acquire because you know how
government acquires, they could do compulsory acquisition but
I decided to intervene and make sure everything is done
amicably so they can move,” he said.

Mr. Ubaka said he had been in dialogue with the community
leaders for months. “Even the Sarki of the Hausawa knows me.
I was even on his house on Sallah Day, we ate together and I
told him that I don’t want the government to come in,” he said.

On the activities of his company in the area on November 5, he
said, “What we were doing was a census of the houses in the
area so that we will know the number of houses in the area, to
know who are living in rented property and know how to go
about the valuation of these property,” he said.

Attempts to speak to Mr Ofuani over the matter yesterday did
not succeed but the DG had during a parley with journalists at
the Correspondents Chapel office in Asaba recently, insisted that
government would undertake a renewal plan in the area.

According to him, the project was in line with the Okowa
administration’s urban renewal programme and the entire
expanse of land along the River Niger coastal lines from the
base of the Niger Bridge through Abraka/ Hausa market, Cable
Point down to Anwai-Asaba have been marked out for the Dubai
model project.

“The Asaba International Market Land has come under our
focus. The government has decided that we should turn that
place into a smart commercial city that has an economy and
life. From leisure to playground, hotels, shopping malls, office
complexes, residency quarters and luxury apartments that will
be reminiscent of a modern city with reference to global
standard,” the DG told journalists.

Tension in the land!

modelmike7:
Tension in the land!

which tension? They should be ready to move out for there for development to come in.

So they should not develop Asaba again because of them.


They should find somewhere else to stay after they have being properly compensated if truly they acquired the land legally.

is this not what the open grazing reserve was meant for to take ownership of people lands. but arewa youth were issuing quick notice to southerners that live all their life in the north.

modelmike7:



since I can barely understand you or what you are tyoing the 2 times you've quoted me in 2 days, I think I have to let you be and ignore your mentions henceforth.
Do have a blessed week ahead Guy!

MICHAEL004 BE PROUD OF YOUR MUSLIM HERITAGE

BAILMONEY:
MICHAEL004 BE PROUD OF YOUR MUSLIM HERITAGE

Well, first of all , I believe we serve the same God.

I always thank Jesus for the salvation of my soul. He's my sole essence of living....

You can believe anything you wanna believe bro.
Everyone has a right to his/her opinion.

Take care and stay blessed.

That's the problem with these hausa and fulani people. Give them an inch and they would want to take a mile. Any where they go, they constitute nuisance to the local population and eventually want to claim indigeneship there. More annoying is the fact that all their settlements in these places are usually slums and tend to distort the beauty of the towns that welcome them, and when these towns want to demolish these slums for urban renewal, they start shedding crocodile tears.

The state government must relocate the people in that community, to avoid creating idp camps.

modelmike7:


Well, first of all , I believe we serve the same God.

I always thank Jesus for the salvation of my soul. He's my sole essence of living....

You can believe anything you wanna believe bro.
Everyone has a right to his/her opinion.

Take care and stay blessed.

WE SABI UNA JARE. IF YOU THINK SAY I DEY LIE GO CHECK OUT ONE JESUSLOVESYOU MONIKER

BAILMONEY:
WE SABI UNA JARE. IF YOU THINK SAY I DEY LIE GO CHECK OUT ONE JESUSLOVESYOU MONIKER

We can't believe in the same political ideology if that is your problem.
You hate Buhari and I love him to a fault, so is that what is biting you that you are even masturbating over my religion. You've got problem kid (but i will pray for you )

Off to church now. See ya!

Okowa should be focus. There is so much land at the outskirt of Asaba where Okowa can build his El-dorado Dubai. The cable point area of Asaba is too tight and small for this white elephant and grandiose project. People are HUNGRY and ANGRY, let the Arewa community be.

Cable point Asaba is due for development and facelift due to its sensitive proximity location to the Niger river..

However, reparations should be made to the Hausa community, indigenes and residents therein..

Meeen! see boldness, i dare igbo people to do this in the north.

modelmike7:

We can't believe in the same political ideology if that is your problem.
You hate Buhari and I love him to a fault, so is that what is biting you that you are even masturbating over my religion. You've got problem kid (but i will pray for you )

Off to church now. See ya!

IM SMARTER THAN YOU

Okanokan:
Okowa should be focus. There is so much land at the outskirt of Asaba where Okowa can build his El-dorado Dubai. The cable point area of Asaba is too tight and small for this white elephant and grandiose project. People are HUNGRY and ANGRY, let the Arewa community be.

It's not about the Arewa community, bro.. Hausa's stay more in Afia Awusa market, Okwe and other settlements more than cable.

Local indigenes wey go lose plenty pass sef.


Think about that River Niger and Dubai

dunkem21:


It's not about the Arewa community, bro.. Hausa's stay more in Afia Awusa market, Okwe and other settlements more than cable.

Local indigenes wey go lose plenty pass sef.


Think about that River Niger and Dubai

Yes! I agree with you, but we can access the River Niger through so many other routes not only through cable. Secondly by accessing River through semi virgin we avoid paying over bloated compensation. Thirdly Okowa should concentrate on how to manage our meagre resources and pay workers salary instead of getting involved in white elephant project that generation unborn will have to pay for our STUPIDITY

BAILMONEY:
IM SMARTER THAN YOU

Obviously you are so low in IQ and not worth arguing with. Been lenient enough with you.

Okanokan:


Yes! I agree with you, but we can access the River Niger through so many other routes not only through cable. Secondly by accessing River through semi virgin we avoid paying over bloated compensation. Thirdly Okowa should concentrate on how to manage our meagre resources and pay workers salary instead of getting involved in white elephant project that generation unborn will have to pay for our STUPIDITY

you're not a Deltan.
those hausa community must leave cable.. Asaba must be developed.

make dem go Kanu.enough land and nice economy.
they don't have any claim whatsoever.. when matter come to shove.. okwe youths go give dem better run.

think say na play..

imagine mumu guts..

bonnylight003:


you're not a Deltan.
those hausa community must leave cable.. Asaba must be developed.

make dem go Kanu.enough land and nice economy.
they don't have any claim whatsoever.. when matter come to shove.. okwe youths go give dem better run.

think say na play..

imagine mumu guts..

I agree with you 100%. They must not hamper development in Delta.

No man's land

BAILMONEY:
MICHAEL004 BE PROUD OF YOUR MUSLIM HERITAGE

You are very smart bro.

I hope northern governors will wake up from their deep sleep to do the same to south south and south east residents in northern part

Imagine this useless abokiii people. It's like they're madd. Common get the fck out of there, go back to Daura

mabea:
Meeen! see boldness, i dare igbo people to do this in the north.

their grandparents were buried there is one of the reason they gave,and they have no others place they call home,except there,my dear igbos have ancenstra home so will not act like them

bonnylight003:


you're not a Deltan.
those hausa community must leave cable.. Asaba must be developed.

make dem go Kanu.enough land and nice economy.
they don't have any claim whatsoever.. when matter come to shove.. okwe youths go give dem better run.

think say na play..

imagine mumu guts..

Now i see where you are coming from. It is clear from your post that Gov Okowa is instigating Okwe Youths, but i dont want to believe that, you guys are on a frolick of your own because you want the filthy lucre from the compensation. Anyway, how many will it to build this ambitious El-dorado Dubai? Maybe 30years!

If its for development... then it should be cleared....at least Lagos is doing same

HAUSA/FULANI MUSLIMS WILL SOON ACTIVATE THEIR YORUBA MUSLIM MONIKERS HERE. NA ME SABI THESE MUSLIMS PASS FOR NAIRALAND