REPORT
OF ANA LAND PRESENTED AT THE AGM OF THE 38TH ANA INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION IN ENUGU, ENUGU STATE, ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2019
A. INTRODUCTION:
On Saturday, October 27, 2018, the
report of the Committee was read to the Congress during the Annual General
Meeting (AGM) of the Association’s 37th International Convention in
Lagos, Lagos State. In further elucidation, the Congress was intimated of the
monthly inspections of the Mamman Vatsa
Writers’ Village, Mpape, Abuja, by the National Legal Adviser (the Secretary to
the Committee) as well as the written feedbacks of such inspections to the
National Executive. Mention was also made of how the carcasses of the
50-bedroom terrace Hotel units and other on-going projects will be delivered by
the sub-contractor (NBC Infrastructure West African Ltd) to the developer
(Korlie Mobs Ventures Ltd, KMVL for short) which will continue to the
completion stage and furnish them as
well. In other words, the delivery of the carcasses will be made to KMVL and
not to the Association as the former, given the terms of the MOU entered
between the latter and the Association, is contractually under obligation to
put the finishing touches to the project and furnish them.
Since last year's Convention, ANA
National Executive has not rested on its oars but has been working assiduously
to deliver on its promises after the sacred mandate given to it by the
Congress.
B. BRIEF SUMMARY OF REPORTS OF THE
ANA LAND COMMITTEE FROM 2016 -2018:
To fully appreciate the level of
development at Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village, Maitama Extension, Mpape, Abuja,
since the inception of the Denja Abdullahi-led administration, the indulgence
of the Congress is craved to reproduce a succinct recapitulation of the reports
of the Land Committee presented to the Congress at its AGM in the years
2016-2018 as it is very germane for a full grasp of the story of Writers
Village. History is not all about when the rain began to beat us, but equally
important, is when everything good began to happen to us.
(i) REPORT OF THE LAND COMMITTEE OF 2016:
(a) Appointment
of ANA Land Committee by the National Executive of the Association at its
inaugural meeting on January 11, 2016, headed by Dr. Wale Okediran (Chairman)
with National Legal Adviser as its Secretary. Other members include Camillus
Ukah (ANA Vice-President), Aminu Sheikh (ANA Niger) and Ahmed Maiwada (former
ANA National Legal Adviser);
(b) The
provision of some level of infrastructure on the site by ANA/KMVL (the
developer) with a view to preventing the federal government from taking over
the land (revocation) despite the non-release of the Certificate of Occupancy
from Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS).
(c) Massive
re-clearing and re-grading of the site to commence infrastructural works and
carry out basic landscaping of specific areas;
(d) Construction
of gate and complete fencing of the Writers’ Village was in progress;
The items mentioned in paragraphs
(a) – (d) above were verified by members of the Congress on October 28, 2016,
at an ANA National Executive-organised tour of the land during the 35th ANA
International Convention in Abuja from October 27-30, 2016. The report was
rounded off with some recommendations by the Land Committee.
(ii) COMPOSITE REPORT OF THE ANA LAND COMMITTEE OF YEARS 2017 AND 2018:
(1) Foundation-laying
Ceremony under the present Denja Abdullahi administration on Friday, May 26,
2017 at the site. This was almost four years after the Ground-breaking Ceremony
by ANA during the Prof. Remi Raji administration in February, 2013 after which
all the illegal structures including trees planted by trespassers were
destroyed by the FCT Development Control Unit;
(2)
Construction and furnishing of temporary ANA National Secretariat on the land
(completely made of burnt brick blocks) which cost over Three Million Naira
(N3, 000,000.00) and had since become operational from January, 2018, with most
of ANA’s effects already moved from the Lagos secretariat situated at National
Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, Lagos State, to the present temporary National
Secretariat at the Writers’ Village. This was followed (for the first time in
the history of the Association) by the opening of a Private Mail Bag (P. M. B.
18485,later 518) with the National Postal Service of Nigeria, domiciled at Area
10, Garki, Abuja, where correspondences and entries for ANA Prizes are now
received;
(3) Expedited
work on site continued, with stages of development as at October 27, 2018 were
as follows:
(i) The
construction of the 50-bedroom terrace Hotel blocks has reached the casting
level, where two blocks had been cast and
concrete blocks currently laid for the first floor (storey);
(ii) The
construction of the Office and Conference Centre: the decking had been cast
with blocks laid for the first floor (storey) while iron work was in progress
for the casting of the over 500-seat Conference Centre);
(iii) The construction of the Library and Book Depository Complex
had reached the decking level with iron work in progress;
(iv) The construction of the Chalets for the Writers’ Residency was
in steady progress;
(v) Erection
of a moderate-sized signboard by ANA on the site in 2018 in compliance with the
requirement of Development Control Department of Federal Capital Development
Authority (FCDA), immediately after the major entrance, off the road leading to
Mpape city-centre, with the names of the Association, the developer (KMVL) and
sub-contractor boldly inscribed on it;
(vi) A
significant re-design in the construction of the Conference Centre was
initiated by ANA National Executive, when after a due consultation with
building engineers, wrote to the developer (KMVL) to request for the immediate
removal of the six column bases in the hall in order to make room for seating
spaces; and
(vii) Fencing of the five hectares earmarked for development
exclusively for ANA had been done (three coaches high) before the commencement
of the 37th ANA International Convention in Lagos, on October 25-28,
2018.
Challenges faced in the course of
development of the Writers’ Village in the years in question such as the earth
tremor experienced in some parts of Abuja (more pronounced at the Mpape axis)
as well as lack of funds (Seven Million Naira, to be specific) that would be
used to re-establish beacons on the land that would give the accurate
perimeters and funds (Twenty Million Naira) for a topographic survey among
others were also highlighted in the reports presented to the Congress in 2017
and 2018. The Congress was also notified in the report of 2018 of the existing
case of Gandu Properties Nig. Ltd & 1
other Vs. Miyosam Ventures Ltd & 11 others, Suit No.: CV/1205/2012
where the Association was the 4th and 5th co-defendants.
This case was (and is still) pending at High Court of Federal Capital Territory
(Court 4, to be precise), Maitama, Abuja.
C. REPORT OF CURRENT YEAR 2019:
(a) PROGRESS REPORT:
There has been substantial progress
on the structures on the Writers’ Village. As at the 29th day of
October, 2019, the following is the current state of the affairs in terms of
the level of development on the land:
(1) The construction of the
50-bedroom terrace Hotel units has reached the casting for the final and second floor(storey) for one unit, while
blocks are being laid for the walls of the final and second floor (storey) of
the other two units:
(2) The construction of the
over 500-seat Conference Centre has reached the casting level with the pillars
for the gallery already fixed, while the section for the Office Complex has
been cast preparatory for the laying of
blocks for the final and second floor (storey);
(3) The construction of the
Library and Book Depository has been done at the carcass level (that is, it has
gone beyond the casting level) with blocks being laid for the final and second
floor (storey) for other office spaces;
(4) The construction of
Chalets for the Writers’ Residency is at the lintel level (the stage for door-and-window casting albeit before
roofing); and
(5) Owing to flooding, the
drainage work already done in previous years had to be upgraded as well as
expanded road network, additional re-grading, stone pitching works were carried
out.
(b) PROJECT MEDIA TOUR:
On Saturday, 5th day of
October, 2019, the National Executive organised a Project Media Tour where
journalists, renowned academics, members
of the Association and stakeholders were taken around the Writers’ Village.
Questions were asked as to the current phase of the development on the land as
well as the legal status of the Association vis-à-vis the land, which were
satisfactorily answered. Three former Presidents (Prof. Femi Osofisan, Dr. Wale
Okediran and Prof. Jerry Agada), Prof. Idris Amali (one-time Assistant General
Secretary during the Prof. Femi Osofisan administration), some members of the
Advisory Council, respected
academics, stakeholders and members of the Association amongst others were in
attendance.
(c) CHALLENGES:
(i) Uncollected
Certificate of Occupancy:
In the 2016 Report of the
Committee, the Congress was kept abreast with the current status of the C. of O. for the land with a
promise by the developer (KMVL) to make arrangements for collection before that
year’s ANA’s Convention as this would enhance the release of funds for the
development of the estate from financial institutions. However, in a meeting
dated October 21, 2017, the Committee in a meeting with some members of the
National Executive and the developer (KMVL) resolved that though the collection
of the C. of O. would be a positive
development (with the ground rent as at time over twenty-five million naira which must be paid first before collection), it was not an urgent priority over the
ongoing projects on the land and that instead of paying over N25m for the
collection of the C. of O., such available funds, if gotten, should be prudently
channeled towards further development on the land.
(ii) Topographic
Survey:
Just like the C. of O. in the
preceding paragraph, the sum of twenty million naira (N20, 000,000.00) is required
for a topographic survey of the land. The fund is not yet secured nor a
Quantity Surveyor who could do it at a much-reduced rate gotten and this may
not be a top priority for now.
(iii) Re-establishment of Beacons:
As reported last year by the Committee,
the estimated sum of seven million naira
(N7, 000,000.00) is required for the re-establishment of beacons on the land
with a view to ascertaining the accurate perimeters. This fund till date is
still unavailable and as a result this is not yet carried out. This too may not
be a top priority as of the moment.
(iv) GANDU PROPERTIES NIG. LTD. & 1 OR. VS
MIYOSAN VENTURES LTD & 11 ORS (SUIT NO.: CV/1205/2012):
As the Congress could
recall, the Committee last year intimated it of the above-mentioned case pending
before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, specifically
before Hon. Justice Goodluck of Court 4, Maitama, Abuja. In this case, the
Association is the 4th and 5th co-defendants with the
current developer, KMVL Properties Ltd, as 6th co-defendant while
the erstwhile developer, Home Securities Ltd., is the 3rd
co-defendant. Other co-defendants include FCDA, the Nigerian Police, the
Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police of the FCT, EFCC and
the Executive Chairman of EFCC and one Yohana Y. D. Margif (a.k.a Yohana
Mutform). The matter had been coming up over the past months of this year.
However, at the last court sitting,
being the 25th day of September, 2019 where it was slated for ruling
on a Motion on Notice (for an interlocutory order restraining the Association
and its privies from further development on the land), the ruling was not ready
and the case was further adjourned to 20th November, 2019 for ruling
on the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction restraining the
Association and the Developer or their privies from further development. Like
our stance last year, we
are still optimistic that on the next adjourned date, the ruling may be in
favour of the Association.
D. CONCLUSION:
As can be clearly seen from the
reports of the Committee (reproduced in a summarised form above) from 2016 to
2018 and this year's, the Denja Abdullahi-led National Executive in the past
four years has taken monumental
steps in the development of the Writers’ Village that will make it a walk-over
for successive National Executives to complete it with ease. In the legal
parlance, when an issue is established beyond doubt with the arithmetical
precision of circumstantial
evidence, the Latin maxim is res ipsa
loquitur, meaning in the layman’s terms, ‘the facts speak for themselves.’
The structures on the land (commenced from the barest scratch) since the
inception of this relentlessly proactive administration speak for themselves.
The Association has never since the Achebe days had it so good and this period
could well be said to be the outset of
the golden age for the most populous writers’ body in Africa.
Thank you for the opportunity to
serve.
Sincerely,
Isaac Attah Ogezi, (National Legal Adviser,
ANA.)
