On 6 August, Nduke Pious stood beside the ruin of her three-bedroom bungalow, about 500 metres from the sprawling construction site of the Ibom Medical City project in Itak in the Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Ms Pius had delivered her fourth child two weeks earlier and had returned from the hospital to hear that agents of the state government had pulled the uncompleted building down.
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This was despite rejecting the compensation offered her after the government acquired the land for the medical city project.
She had been struggling to develop the property, which she hoped would provide a permanent abode for her family.
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“My baby is only two weeks old,” she told PREMIUM TIMES. “Right now, I am living with my sister. I received a quit notice from my landlord and had to move my belongings to my sister’s house.”
Ms Pius said she spent more than N3 million raising the structure to lintel level, but officials offered her only N550,000 as compensation.
As she spoke, workers with heavy equipment focused on delivering what Governor Umo Eno has described as one of his administration’s most ambitious projects.
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About 300 meters away, Sunday Okon, a mobile phone repairer and father of three, tells a similar story.
After receiving a quit notice from his previous residence during a drainage project, Mr Okon said he borrowed N3 million and added his savings to roof a three-bedroom house.
But two months after moving in, he learnt that the property had been marked for acquisition.
He said he expected to receive adequate compensation to start afresh.
Instead, the state offered him N5.6 million as compensation.
“Given the cost of building materials and the level this building has reached, the least they should offer is N16 million,” Mr Okon said.
“I’m appealing to the governor to provide adequate compensation so I can build another house for my children.”
PREMIUM TIMES found that more than a dozen property owners rejected the compensation offered by the state government as far short of what they needed to rebuild their homes.
Interviews with affected property owners, estate valuers and lawyers, supported by valuation reports, rejection letters and other documents reviewed by this newspaper, revealed lack of transparency over how compensations were determined.
Several valuers said their professional assessments were significantly higher than the figures approved by the government, raising broader questions about valuation standards and whether affected families are receiving fair compensation for one of Akwa Ibom’s most ambitious public projects.
A project of enormous ambition
None of the property owners interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES opposed the project.
On the contrary, they variously described it as a welcome development that could transform healthcare in Akwa Ibom.
Governor Eno unveiled the project plan and performed the groundbreaking for the Ibom International Hospital in June.
Spread across 100 hectares, the facility is expected to reduce medical tourism, create jobs and position Akwa Ibom as a leading destination for specialised healthcare.
Designed as an integrated medical hub, it will house multiple specialist centres and healthcare-related services.
“This project is not just a construction project; it is an investment in the future health and prosperity of our people,” the governor said.
At the event, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, described the project as a practical demonstration of Nigeria’s healthcare reform agenda.
Project Manager Teinye Isokariari said the medical city would comprise a 10-storey complex accommodating 62 medical specialties, equipped with advanced technology capable of delivering world-class healthcare services.
He described the project as “more than a hospital,” calling it “a journey” toward healthcare excellence.
Project gulps over six per cent of state’s 2026 budget
The state’s financial commitment reflects the scale of that vision.
A review of the Akwa Ibom 2026 budget by PREMIUM TIMES shows that the government earmarked various amounts for different components of the project: N100 billion for the Ibom International Hospital, N10 billion for an Advanced Diagnostic Centre, N5 billion for a Mental Rehabilitation Centre and N2.5 billion for the Arise Renal Medical Centre/Dialysis Centre.
Together, the allocations amount to N117.5 billion, representing more than six per cent of the state’s N1.5 trillion 2026 budget.
For Governor Eno, the medical city is a flagship investment intended to reshape healthcare delivery in Akwa Ibom.
However, for families like those of Ms Pius and Mr Okon, the project has become a painful balancing act between public progress and private sacrifice.
While cranes and bulldozers prepare the ground for what could become one of Nigeria’s largest specialist healthcare facilities, many of those who surrendered their land and properties say the compensations are inadequate for what is taken away from them.
‘We need fair compensation’
This newspaper had earlier reported how Peter Lambert took to Facebook to appeal to Governor Eno to review the N3.7 million compensation offered for his property acquired for the project.
Mr Lambert said he invested nearly N8 million in the property located in Ekpemiong Itak.
Across Ekpemiong Itak and Usuk Afaha Obio Ewang in Ikono Local Government Area, rejection letters, valuation reports and interviews with property owners point to a compensation dispute that threatens to overshadow the ambitious healthcare project.
Among those interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES is Anietie Effiong.
Standing beside his three-bedroom bungalow, he recalled officials informing him that his property was affected by the project.
“I did not protest because I believed the government would pay adequate compensation,” he said.
Months later, he was informed that the state had approved N2.1 million.
“It is so sad,” he said. “I rejected the money. How can I accept N2 million for this property?”
Considering the current cost of building materials, Mr Effiong believes about N9 million would more accurately reflect the value of what he lost.
A letter seen by PREMIUM TIMES shows that he formally requested a revaluation from the Ministry of Lands and Town Planning.
“I hereby reject the said compensation due to the poor amount and therefore call for revaluation of my property,” he wrote.
Less than 300 meters away, Edet Etuk told a similar story.
His four-bedroom bungalow had reached wall-plate level when officials informed him that it had been acquired.
He said the government approved N1.4 million as compensation.
“I submitted a rejection letter,” he said. But, months after submitting the letter, he said he was yet to receive a response.
“If the government offers me N9 million, I will accept it.”
His rejection letter, reviewed by this newspaper, argues that the offer does not represent “the true value and fair compensation” for the property, particularly given inflation and the sharp rise in construction costs.
Similar pattern, different property owners
The pattern extends beyond the two men.
Idongesit Nnimmong publicly appealed to Governor Eno and Senate President Godswill Akpabio after the state acquired her two plots of land for the project.
She said she had spent years buying more than 2,000 blocks, cement, sand, chippings, fencing materials and paying labour costs before learning that compensation for both plots had been fixed at N896,000.
“I sincerely support this project because I know it will benefit Akwa Ibom State,” she wrote on Facebook. “I only humbly ask that my years of sacrifice are not forgotten. That news broke my heart. It does not reflect the value of my investment.”
For Glory Ntokon, the acquisition interrupted her journey out of a housing problem.
When officials told her the state had approved N1.5 million as compensation, she said the dream collapsed.
“The money is not enough to build another house.
“With my two children, it is frightening to think about how I will start all over again.”
The figures are even more striking in the case of Christiana Ekpo.
The state offered her N540,000 for a three-bedroom bungalow built above damp-proof course level.
Her independent valuer assessed the same property at N3.8 million.
“I rejected the offer immediately,” she said.
Her lawyer, Anthony Ebuk, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that a formal rejection letter had been submitted to the Ministry of Lands and Town Planning and that they were still awaiting a response.
Supporting documents reviewed by this newspaper add another layer to the dispute.
A valuation report prepared by Mathias Hope and Associates states that Mrs Ekpo’s property is being acquired for the proposed Renal Kidney Centre, one of the specialised facilities planned within the Medical City.
Using the Depreciated Replacement Cost Method, a recognised approach for valuing permanent structures, the firm assessed the property at N3.8 million.
It is one of several independent valuation reports reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES showing significant differences between professional assessments and the compensation approved by the government.
The disparity is even wider in the cases of Sunday Okon and Friday Okon.
Their estate valuer, Udom Udim, assessed Sunday’s property at N18.6 million and Friday’s at N20 million.
The government approved N5.6 million and N8 million, respectively, for a three-bedroom flat and an apartment housing three self-contained units and a two-bedroom flat.
“I know the properties in question were undervalued compared to the current cost of building materials,” Mr Udim said.
He said he submitted his valuation reports to the Ministry of Lands and Town Planning and that the affected property owners had also engaged a lawyer.
While acknowledging that compulsory acquisition for public purposes is recognised under Nigerian law, Mr Udim explained that independent estate surveyors prepared their assessments using established professional standards, whereas the compensation communicated to property owners came from the state government through the Ministry of Lands and Town Planning.
That difference is at the heart of the dispute.
Property owners insist the approved compensation does not reflect the cost of replacing what they lost.
The government has yet to publicly explain how it arrived at the compensation figures.
The disagreement becomes even more striking when viewed against the scale of the state’s investment in the Medical City.
Governor Eno has repeatedly described the project as one that will reduce medical tourism by providing specialised healthcare services within Akwa Ibom a vision similar to that advanced more than a decade ago when the Ibom Multi-Specialty Hospital was commissioned under the administration of former Governor Akpabio.
Today, however, significant sections of that hospital remain unfinished, even as the 2026 budget provides N2 billion for its completion while the government simultaneously commits more than N117 billion to key components of the Medical City.
For families whose homes stand in the project’s path, those billions are less immediate than a more personal question:
How do they rebuild the homes they surrendered for a project they support?
READ ALSO: Group commends Akwa Ibom State government for caring for abandoned children
Government yet to explain valuation process
As complaints mounted, PREMIUM TIMES sought answers from the Akwa Ibom State Government. The newspaper asked how the compensation figures were determined?
It also sought clarification on whether the Ministry of Lands and Town Planning considered independent valuation reports submitted on behalf of affected property owners before approving compensation.
The Commissioner for Lands and Town Planning, Ubong Inyang, declined to comment.
He initially referred PREMIUM TIMES to the ministry’s permanent secretary but later directed this newspaper to the Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, after being reminded that a state government circular restricts permanent secretaries from speaking to the media without authorisation.
When contacted, Mr Umanah said he did not have sufficient details of the affected properties to comment and requested specific information.
The detailed questions were sent to him via WhatsApp, asking what valuation rates, assessment criteria and schedules the Ministry applied in determining compensation for properties and whether those schedules are publicly available in the interest of transparency and accountability.
As of the time this report was filed, Mr Umanah had not responded.
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