George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

The Senate Committee Chairman on Industry and Investment, Dr. Sam Egwu, has condemned the forceful take over of the lands of the Industrial Development Centres and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) by the Imo State government.

Egwu warned that Nigeria was not a banana republic where things were done without law and order.

The senator, who stated this yesterday while on oversight function with officials of SMEDAN, was miffed that a state government could forcefully take over the land of an agency of the Federal Government without the prior knowledge of the Agency, Ministry or the Federal Government.

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“We came here to inspect projects being carried out by the Ministry of Industry and Investment as part of our oversight function. But we came to the sad realisation that lands of the SMEDAN and that of the Industry Development Centres in the state have been forcefully appropriated by the Imo State government, which is not to the knowledge of the Agency, Ministry, or the Federal Government.

At the SMEDAN premises along Owerri/Onitsha road, we met workers who were already digging a foundation
for a building right inside the company and we told them it is not right,” Egwu said.