Enugu Residents Protest N8m Levy, Decry Forced Eviction from Olympic Layout

Residents and retirees at Olympic Layout, a community on the outskirts of Enugu, have raised the alarm over what they describe as a “forced eviction” following the state government’s imposition of an N8 million infrastructure levy per plot.

The affected residents, many of them retirees and widows, said the levy—introduced under Governor Peter Mbah’s administration—was unaffordable and unfair. The new policy requires homeowners to pay N10,000 per square metre as an infrastructure fee and N4,000 per square metre for a Certificate of Occupancy. For an average plot of 540 square metres, this amounts to roughly N8 million, a figure residents say exceeds the value of their properties.

“We Are Being Made to Buy Our Land Again”

Chairman of Olympic Layout, George Agusi, criticised the policy, calling it exploitative and insensitive to the plight of ordinary citizens.
“We’re not against government levies,” he said, “but there must be a human face. Most of us are retirees who used our life savings to buy land. Now we are being asked to pay N8 million as if we are repurchasing our land.”

Agusi noted that most plots in the area sell for less than N7 million. “It’s absurd to pay more than the property’s worth,” he said.

Residents Decry Neglect and Unresolved Land Disputes

A visit to the area, located off Agbani Road by One Day Bus Stop, showed visible neglect and infrastructural decay. Some residents blamed the ongoing boundary dispute between Umu-Ugwu Akum Akwuke and Etiti Ngwo communities for their woes, saying the government’s failure to resolve the land conflict has compounded their challenges.

Landlord Ede Ezekiel said, “The state government must intervene to settle the dispute between the two communities. We are suffering because of the conflict and the multiple levies from both sides.”

Others accused the Enugu State Geographic Information System Services (ENGIS) of engaging in double registration. “They collect N100,000 from the original buyer and another N100,000 from someone who bought from another community for the same plot. How is that fair?” a resident asked.

“We Built Homes to Avoid Rent After Retirement”

Another landlord, Innocent Ekwu, who retired from public service in 2021, said he built a small house to avoid paying rent after retirement, only to face the threat of eviction.
“My gratuity hasn’t been paid four years after retirement. Now the government wants to take my land because I can’t pay N8 million. I’m pleading with them to reduce the levy to N1 million and allow instalment payments,” he said.

Government Defends Policy as ‘Regularisation Effort’

In a letter dated June 3, 2025, the Enugu State Geographic Information System Services (ENGIS) defended the levy, saying it was part of a regularisation plan to bring the layout under the state’s development masterplan.

“The land currently under your association’s management is classified as Crown Land, legally owned by the state,” ENGIS Executive Director Chiwetalu Nwatu stated.
He explained that the N10,000 per square metre infrastructure fee was intended to fund the provision of essential infrastructure, not as a punishment.

To ease the burden, Nwatu said the government had extended the deadline for the initial 30 per cent payment from June 15 to July 14, 2025, and allowed residents to pay in two instalments.

Despite this concession, residents insist the levy remains unrealistic and are calling on Governor Mbah to review the charges and prevent mass displacement in the community.