A property owner in Akwa Ibom State has appealed to Governor Umo Eno to review the compensation paid for his property acquired for the state’s Medical City project, saying the amount has left him financially devastated and emotionally exhausted.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the property owner, Peter Lambert, said the Akwa Ibom State Government, through the Ministry of Lands and Town Planning, paid him ₦3.7 million for a property he claims cost him nearly ₦8 million to acquire and develop.
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“Dear Gov Eno, in life, I’ve tried my best to get certain things and am still struggling. This is the condition your Government, through the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Lands, has put me (at Ekpemiong Itak, where you are building Medical City), due to poor compensation for a site that took all my savings between service year (2021) and post-service year (2025),” he wrote.
Ekpemiong Itak is a community along the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene Road.
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The Akwa Ibom State Government acquired land in the area for the construction of Ibom International Hospital, a component of the medical city, whose groundbreaking was recently performed by the Minister of Health, Mohammed Ali Pate.
Mr Lambert said he spent “close to ₦8 million” on the land, survey, drawings, fence, soakaway and an uncompleted three-bedroom bungalow, but received only ₦3.7 million in compensation.
“If by any time soon or later, I finally declare that I’m completely tired of this world, I don’t think anyone would blame me for giving up because I did my best.”
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‘I just feel tired’
Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, Mr Lambert said the statement reflected the frustration and hopelessness he felt over the compensation dispute.
“When frustrations are too much, and you feel hopeless in a situation that someone could have helped – I just feel tired.”
He said he was not asking for special treatment but only hoped the government would pay him an amount close to what he invested.
“Even if they give me something close to the amount I spent, at least I’ll be okay.”
Mr Lambert said rebuilding the house would now be even more difficult because construction costs had increased sharply.
“When I was buying cement, it was between ₦9,500 and ₦10,000 a bag, but now cement is ₦13,000.”
His predicament comes at a time when owning a home has become increasingly difficult in Akwa Ibom. Across Uyo, prospective homeowners are grappling with soaring land prices and rising construction costs, while many tenants are also struggling under steep rent increases imposed by landlords.
With accommodation becoming less affordable and the cost of building materials continuing to rise, losing a partly completed house through compulsory acquisition can be financially devastating, making fair and transparent compensation a critical concern for affected property owners.
Building stopped before roofing
In a video accompanying the post, Mr Lambert said he built the three-bedroom bungalow from earnings made between 2024 and 2026 before officials of the Ministry of Lands and Town Planning directed him to stop work because the land was required for an extension of the Medical City project.
“I was about to roof it when people came from the Ministry of Lands and Town Planning, requesting that I should stop work and that Governor Umo Eno wants to extend a project towards there.”
He said he accepted the acquisition because he expected to receive fair compensation.
“I didn’t have any problems, and I was expecting that the compensation would be something better.”
According to Mr Lambert, the property occupies 611 square metres and is backed by survey documents and a Certificate of Deposit issued through the Surveyor General’s Office.
The video Mr Lambert posted on Facebook showed the building had reached an advanced stage of construction. The property also has a fence and an uncovered soakaway.
Mr Lambert said he consulted an estate valuer, Emem Usoro, to liaise with state government officials regarding compensation for the property.
According to him, the valuer advised him to accept the compensation rather than challenge the government.
“My valuer agreed on the amount and asked me to go get the money and not to fight the government.”
However, when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Usoro disputed Mr Lambert’s claim that he advised him to accept the compensation without question.
The estate valuer said he merely explained the state’s position that, under the Land Use Act of 1978, compensation was not being paid for the land itself because the government considers land to be vested in the state. “Not really, that I advised him to accept the payment,” he said.
Mr Usoro also said he did not discourage Mr Lambert from pursuing legal action if he believed the compensation was inadequate. He said he advised him to compare the government’s valuation with his own assessment before deciding on the next step.
“As a valuer, I did not tell him not to take legal action… If the governor or whoever is in authority says this is the rate we are going to pay… and you don’t want it, the only thing to do is to go to court,” he said, adding that the acquisition was a case of compulsory acquisition undertaken “in the overriding interest of the people.”
READ ALSO: Ondo begins demolition of buildings blocking waterways amid flood risks
Government declines to comment
When contacted, the Commissioner for Lands and Town Planning, Ubong Inyang, referred PREMIUM TIMES to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary.
When reminded that a state government circular bars permanent secretaries from speaking to the media without authorisation, Mr Inyang said he also could not comment and referred this newspaper to the Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah.
Mr Umanah did not respond to telephone calls and a text message seeking comments.
Mr Lambert’s case raises broader questions about how compensation for land acquired for public projects is determined, whether affected property owners receive adequate replacement value for their investments, and what avenues are available to those seeking a review of compensation awards.
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