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Residents of Idaw River community of Enugu South local government area, are protesting an ₦8 million infrastructure levy imposed by the state government, describing it as exploitative and inhumane.
The policy, introduced under Governor Peter Mbah’s administration, requires homeowners to pay ₦10,000 per square metre as an infrastructure fee and an additional ₦4,000 per square metre to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O).
For a typical 540-square-metre plot, residents say the total payment amounts to nearly ₦8 million a figure they claim is higher than the market value of most properties in the area.
The community said they werenot opposed to paying levies but condemned the rate as unreasonable.
“We are not against government introducing charges, but there should be a human face to it,” they said. “Most of us are retirees who used our life savings and gratuities to buy this land. Now, after several years, we are being told to pay ₦8 million again. That’s like buying our land twice.”
They explained that many of the affected homeowners are pensioners and widows who cannot raise such a large amount in the current economic hardship.
You can’t even sell a plot here for ₦7 million, yet the government expects us to pay ₦8 million in levies. How is that possible?” he added.
A visit to the community, located off Agbani Road near One Day Bus Stop, shows visible signs of neglect, with poor roads and lack of infrastructure.
Resident Ede Ezekiel said the situation is worsened by unresolved land disputes between Umu-Ugwu Akum Akwuke and Etiti Ngwo, two communities laying claim to the area.
We’ve been waiting for the government to settle the ownership issue so that we can live in peace,” he said. “ENGIS collects ₦100,000 for registration from the original buyers and another ₦100,000 from those who bought the same plots through different channels. That’s double registration, and it’s unfair.”
For many residents, especially retirees, the new levy poses the risk of losing the only homes they have after years of service.
Innocent Ekwu, a retired civil servant, said he built a small home in the layout to avoid renting after retirement but now fears displacement.
I retired in 2021, and my gratuity hasn’t been paid. I used my little savings to build this house. Now the government wants to reallocate my land because I can’t afford this levy,” he said. “I’m begging the governor to reduce it to ₦1 million and give us time to pay.
In a letter dated June 3, 2025, the Enugu State Geographic Information System Services (ENGIS) defended the charges, saying they are part of efforts to integrate the Layout into the state’s urban master plan.
ENGIS Executive Director, Mr. Chiwetalu Nwatu, said the land is classified as Crown Land, which legally belongs to the state government.
The ₦10,000 per square metre infrastructure development fee is necessary to fund essential amenities in the area,” Nwatu explained. “It’s not a penalty but a contribution to bring the community up to acceptable living standards.”
He noted that the government extended the deadline for residents to pay the initial 30 percent of the levy by 30 days from June 15 to July 14, 2025 and permitted payment in two instalments.
Despite this concession, residents maintain that the levy remains unaffordable and are urging the Enugu State government to review the policy, warning that failure to do so could leave many pensioners homeless.
