The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has allocated not less than one hundred million naira as compensation to plots and farm owners in respect of the agency’s proposed building of its North West Zonal Office permanent site in Kaduna.
NEMA officially presented bank drafts to no fewer than 49 respective owners of the 20 hectares of land situated close to the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) new site at Afaka, Igabi Local Government Area in Kaduna State.
The land which was allocated to the agency by the Kaduna state government is expected to house a training school, warehouses/stores and helipad, a structure designed and meant for safe landing of a rescue helicopter in case of emergency.
NEMA Director General, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi represented by the Zonal Coordinator, North West, Alhaji Musa Ilallah said “the agency’s proposed building will no doubt ease the challenges? of managing disaster as it’ll create a conducive atmosphere in accommodating modern emergency equipments”.
The NEMA chief added “land owners are expected to benefit from the largesse; I will personally urge the beneficiaries to judiciously and reasonably invest the money given to them as compensation and see this as development to the community”.
However, the Deputy Director, Evaluation, Kaduna state Ministry of Land and Survey, Mr. Zakariya Dan Azumi stated that “the ministry has planned to capture signatures, pictures and the certificates of land ownership before recognizing them with the allocated bank drafts. Two out of the 49 people received twenty million and thirteen million Naira each.”
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, The District Head of Afaka, Alhaji Aliyu Abdulwahab commended the agency for its compassion in respect of the compensation and promised to allocate lands to any beneficiary in the area willing to acquire another land in the area at a cheaper rate.
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