Kogi assembly calls BUA to account for unpaid 50,000-hectare land

On Monday, the Kogi House of Assembly summoned BUA Group, a cement manufacturing company, regarding a 50,000-hectare piece of land it had bought ten years prior but hadn’t yet paid for.

The summons was issued by the MPs during a public meeting of one of its ad hoc committees convened at a hotel in Lokoja after its structure was completely destroyed by fire last Monday.

After hearing the acting surveyor general of the state, Mr. Salihu Mustapha, read the summons, the deputy speaker of the house, Mr. Alfa Momoh-Rabiu, expressed outrage at the behavior of BUA Group.

“We are having problems with the BUA Group over 50,000 hectares of land it acquired in 2012 and even obtained a Certificate of Occupancy but has not paid a kobo for the land.

“We have written to the group several times but it has not responded to any of the letters.

“No compensation has been paid to the communities that own the expanse of land,’’ the acting surveyor-general said at the public hearing.

The ad-hoc committee chairman, Mr Umar Tenimu, said it was an offence for BUA Group to hold the land for more than 10 years without paying for it.

“The group should be summoned to come and explain why it refused to pay for the land and why it refused to compensate the community involved,” he said.

He further stated that the government will cancel the C of O if BUA Group failed to pay for the land and compensate the neighborhood.

When reached, Mr. Sunday Ogieva, a representative of BUA Group Corporate Commutations, stated he was unable to comment on the matter.

GOGAN TV