Hon. Okechukwu Mbah, the lawmaker representing Nkanu East State constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly, has revealed why the Enugu State government halted the construction of the Biomass-Based Methanol Plant by the Energy Commission of Nigeria in the state.

According to Mbah, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology Chief Uche Nnaji attempted to use the project as a cover for land grabbing, which the Amanguze community in Nkanu East local government area resisted.

Mbah stated that the Minister initially disguised the project as a factory setup to acquire the community’s land illegally for personal business. However, the community resisted because Nnaji had no claim to the land.

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“When this failed, and after he became a minister, Nnaji returned to the land with a purported federal government project to take over the disputed land between Amagunze community in Nkanu East LGA and Akpugo community in Nkanu West LGA,” Mbah explained.

Mbah further narrated that Minister Nnaji’s actions became more suspicious when he failed to announce the project to the Enugu State government or the council governments of Nkanu East or Nkanu West.

Mbah blamed Nnaji for being aware of the land dispute and failing to consult with the relevant parties before siting the project in Amagunze land.

Nnaji went ahead to name the area as belonging to Akpugo community, which irked the Amanguze community.

They cried out to the Enugu State government, leading to an order to stop work at the construction site.

Addressing newsmen in his office in Enugu, Mbah appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call the Minister to order and investigate why the project was cited in Nkanu East local government council headquarters Amagunze but named as being situated in Nkanu West LGA.

Mbah emphasized, “There was no due diligence on the part of the minister. We are not against federal government projects in our community; in fact, we have vast land available for any project. However, due process must be followed.”

Mbah also pointed out that for a project of such magnitude, which would generate waste products, there was no Environmental Impact Assessment conducted before siting the project.

“These are the reasons why we sealed the project at the moment.”
Mbah pleaded, “We’re also asking the Enugu State Boundary Committee to step in to address the demarcation between the two communities in two different local government councils to save conflict in the area.”