Some farmers in the Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of Kano State whose farmlands were acquired for the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas pipeline project, have rejected the compensation the NNPC planned to pay them tomorrow.
The farmers made their position known on Wednesday evening when officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and members of the Kano State AAK Committee visited the affected community in Magami Village.
The officials were in the village to brief the affected farmers on the mode of payment for the compensation which would be paid at the Zenith Bank branch in Kano tomorrow (Thursday).
One of the farmers, Labaran Audu, who spoke to journalists after briefing them by officials, said he was not ready to collect the compensation if he was not satisfied with the amount to be paid to him.
According to him, his land was valued at N6 million but now the NNPC planned to pay him N170,000 as compensation for land acquired for the project.
Another affected farmer, Mohammed Haruna said he was not satisfied with the amount of money to be paid as the amount to be paid was nothing to go home about.
“When we go to the bank tomorrow, we will not accept what we are not satisfied with.
“Even though our farmlands were acquired for the project which will be of economic benefit to us. But there is need for the government to look at current economic situation in the country.
“Most of the people in this community are farmers and we solely depend on our farms for the production of food and other cash crops. How can we collect what is not commensurate with the value of our farmlands,” Haruna said.
Another farmer, Abdullahi Adamu said any attempt to pay them peanuts for their farmlands would be met with stiff resistance as they don’t have anything except their farms which they cultivate for their sustenance.
He, therefore, called on the management of the NNPC and Kano State government to look into the matter to avoid possible crisis.
“We know the importance of the projects but we are looking for a fair compensation for the land acquired from us,” he said.
Reacting on the issue, the Special Adviser ot Gov. Ganduje on Intergovernmental Affairs and Vice chairman of the state AAK project, Mahmud Tofa said initially what the NNPC wanted to pay the farmers was far below the state government’s rate.
” His Excellency, the state governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje directed NNPC to use the State rate for payment of the compensation. So, we are here to tell them that the state government rate will be paid not the NNPC rate.
“By the time they receive the compensation tomorrow, they will all be happy,” he said.
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