High cost of lands in Umuaka worries Akalites.
4 min read
Akalites both in and outside Nigeria are really worried over the high cost of landed properties in Umuaka community.
The cost of lands in Umuaka community according to findings made by Umuaka Times is higher than what is obtained in Orlu and Owerri the state capital. Some years back, there was hardly any plot of land sold up to a million Naira in Umuaka despite the location of the land. As time went on, prices of land kept going higher and higher to the extent that only the rich can afford.
A popular land speculator and agent in Umuaka who did not want her name mentioned, told Umuaka Times reporters that the cost of lands in Umuaka is very high as a result of the greed of the land owners. ”Every land owner in Umuaka who wants to sell his land, believes that his land is at the best site. With this wrong thinking, one person who may genuinely need the property may buy it at any cost. After that, we land agents will broadcast the news that Mr somebody sold his small piece of land for N5 million. This will make the next sellers to increase the cost of theirs.”
A land seller from Uba who spoke to Umuaka Times also described the scenario as having to do with the rising market forces in the country. He summarized his views thus: “Daily, prices of goods and services are on the increase and as we all know, anything can trigger market forces. Umuaka is known to be the fastest developing town in Imo State and you don’t expect prices of goods and services to be cheap. Nobody wants to sell his land for jamboree, you sell to solve a problem and the money you make after selling the land must be enough to solve the problem you had in mind.”
It appears that Uba Umuaka community is the worst hit area in terms of high cost of landed properties. A plot of land in Uba as it currently stands now is between 15 and 18 million Naira. This is if it is in a farmland. The price will go higher if the land is in a good site.
Other communities like Ibele and Amiyi that have surplus landed properties, properties that were previously sold for about two million Naira are now sold between 8 and 10 million and there is a likely possibility of the prices going higher in a short time.
Those whose landed properties face the Orlu Owerri Express Road now see the properties as “oil wells”. About three weeks ago when Umuaka Times ran a story of new banks coming to Umuaka, the publisher of Umuaka Times got several calls both from land owners and agents to help them showcase and position their landed properties to the banks. When asked how much they were selling, they quoted between 120 and 200 million Naira each.
In all these, people have always asked, what will be the fate of the poor in Umuaka? Is there hope for the poor?
A high profile chief who also pleaded anonymity disclosed to Umuaka Times that greed may not be responsible for the high cost of lands in the community. He attributed it to growth in population. “The population of Umuaka is on the increase and to add salt to injury, the space we Akalites live on is not enough for us. Some Akalites have built their residential houses in Amurie Omanze and I was recently told that someone from Uba Umuaka is planning to build his residential house in Umuduru Ekwe because it is where he was able to find land.”
A man who simply gave his name as Ezeji blamed the rising cost of lands in Umuaka on what he described as the criminal roles of land agents. “Land agents are really bad. Most of the times they are the ones who encourage land owners to jack the prices of their lands. For example, a plot of land that goes for five million Naira, a land agent will tell the land owner to increase the price to N8million. If the owner agrees, the agent will then add his own N5 million on top of the skyrocketed price. You can now see that a property of just five million Naira is now 13 million.”
Nearby communities like Ekwe, Amurie and Orodo are now following in this trend. A plot of land in these areas now goes for about 10 million and above. These seem to be no end to this land malady in Umuaka as far there are people who are ready to buy at whatever cost. From all indications, the poor in Umuaka may end up being a refugee in his own fatherland where he will be asking, “who owns papa’s land’.
