By Mohamed Vandi from Pujehun
More than 1,000 landowners have expressed dissatisfaction to Politico over the manner in which the agribusiness company, Socfin Sierra Leone Limited are compensating them for their plantation. In different towns and villages in the Sahn Malen Chiefdom, Pujehun District they pleaded with Government, the district council, traditional leaders and civil society organisations “to come to our aid” to urge Socfin to revisit the Compensation and Land Agreement so that they would receive some money monthly. The company has a US$122 million investment in the chiefdom which started operations in April 2011 and has planted 4,400 hectares of hybrid oil palm. One of the female landowners in Jumbu Village, Hawa Kamara said that there was no formal agreement between them and the company for the lease of their land. She said that their understanding was that Socfin would buy the plantation on their land and not the land itself. She said she had five acres of land but that only two acres was paid for at Le 2 million.
She pleaded with the company to be helping them with yearly compensation so that they would be able to take care of their family. A youth, Morie Kanneh said the idea behind the lease of their land was very disappointing. He said the company was not helping the situation. “Our farming helped us more than this company’s work and so-called compensation” he said, adding that most of the youth had nothing to do and were idling. Vandi Sannoh who was crowned town chief in April 1992, said that their Paramount Chief Kebbie introduced the company to them. He said no compensation document was signed between with landowners but that in a meeting held in Sahr Malen chiefs and some landowners signed a document indicating their willingness to sell “only their plantation on the land”. Chief Sannoh said the operations of Socfin were satisfactory but that the Le 1 million compensation paid by the company per acre was “very unfortunate”. He said his people were suffering since there was no other means of raising money from their usual farming activities. “We will appreciate it much if the company will continue compensating us every year,” he said, adding that more than Le 30 million compensation paid them was no more. Murana Rogers of Hungai village said that he was compensated Le 10 million for his 10-acre land. He denied knowledge of any lease agreement, insisting that there was no document signed for the compensation. He said their culture had been eroded as there were no more hunting, fishing, wood fetching, gardening and farming in the community. He accused the chiefs of conniving with the company to worsen their living standard.
Tonia Sama of Kortumahun had eight acres of land and received Le 8million compensation. She said she regretted selling her plantation to the company saying her usual farm activity had been destroyed. She said plans were underway to migrate to another village within the chiefdom where the company had not reached, so she could farm. “Farming is now part of us, but that activity has been shattered. We no longer eat our local foodstuff, but rather depend on imported rice,” she said. Another landowner in Samabu village, Mustapha Sillah said that he had 12 acres of land but only nine was paid for. He also called for help revisit the lease agreement “to be in the interest of the masses”. Matta Bundu of Kortumahun accused the Paramount Chief and other local authorities of forcing them to sell their land. She said they were forced to sell their plantations to the company. “We will die and our children will suffer if the government does not come to our aid,” she lamented, adding that during the compensation process women were disadvantaged because they were misled and not told about what the lease and compensation package entailed. Several other landowners Politico spoke to in Banba, Jombuhun, Sembehun Massao, Mornogot, Senehun, Bomuvulahun, Bombomhun and several other towns and villages expressed similar dissatisfaction over the lease of their land and the “meagre amount the company paid for their land”.
In neighbouring Upper Malen Chiefdom where Socfin plans to extend their operation, people said they would resist any attempt at “taking our land from us”. In Gboyama village their spokesperson, Mamie Ndawah said they knew the value of land and farming and would in no way sell it to anybody. She said their forefathers had survived on the land which they had also inherited. She said what they were currently deriving from their farming was worth three times what Socfin was compensating landowners in other towns. She alleged that most of their brothers who were on casual labour at the company had been sacked because of their refusal to give up their land to the company. However Alpha Sombie said he would not attribute their dismissal to Mamie’s claim since more than 200 of them were sacked. Town chief of Gboyama, Monina Vounu said that their land had taken care of their children and selling them to Socfin was something they would resist. He said “the mistake” other villages had made had been corrected in their own community. “We have special sentimental attachment to our land, and no one will take it from us,” he said, adding that Socfin officials had met them with Le 8 million to declare their intention for the land, but that the said money was returned to the company.
Town Chief of Taninahun, Moinina Gbao said that Socfin officials met them with Le 5 million as declaration of interest for their land, but that the money was turned down. He said they were satisfied with what they harvest from their farms and did not admire whatever development Socfin had done in the affected communities. “We do not want anything from them and our land is for the generations yet unborn,” he said, adding that what the former Member of Parliament, Siaka Sama and others are doing was not incitement but rather to “raise awareness and do advocacy”. He said they were sons of the soil and therefore had the right to talk on their behalf especially on issues that affected them. “Our people are in strong support of Siaka and others,” he said. Siaka Sama and five other members of the land right campaign group called Malen Affected Land Owners Association were granted bail recently by Magistrate Alfred Fidawi of the Bo Magistrate Court after they had spent days on remand. They were all charged with destroying economic trees belonging to SOCFIN, incitement and conspiracy. In the absence of the Paramount Chief, Chiefdom Speaker Segbeh Moigua refuted claims by his people that they were not sensitized about the operations of the company. He said the people themselves pleaded with the Paramount Chief to come with the company and that everybody welcomed Socfin’s operations. Deputy Chairman and councillor of Ward 308, Kaililu Fofana, said the council played the last role in land arrangement. He said land arrangements were the responsibility of the District Officer, the local authorities and the central Government, and that the council would only come in to effect service delivery. He said since Socfin started operations they had not got any report of forceful acquisition of land by the company, but rather complains of dissatisfaction by the landowners over the money paid as compensation for their land. Fofana said they had engaged the Anthony General and other stakeholders seeking an amicable solution to the grievances of the landowners. He urged landowners to stay calm while they tried to lobby the company and government for a renegotiation of the deal. Socfin’s Liaison Officer, James Pessima told Politico that the company paid for not only the plants but also for the land. He said the people stood to benefit a lot if they knew about the lease agreement. He said the company pays five dollars per acre to the government of Sierra Leone as lease for 50 (fifty) years and that the people were adequately informed about the Le 1million compensation paid to a landowner per acre. He said the people stood to benefit more when the company started production. He said the allegation that land was forcefully grabbed was baseless as it was impossible to acquire any land from the people without proper consultation. He said the company was open to negotiation. Pessima said the company had begun building the oil mill with a processing capacity of 30 tonnes per hour and could be upgraded to 60 tonnes if required. He boasted that the company had constructed water wells, toilets and school within the operational communities. The police Local Unit Commander in Pujehun, Nathaniel Brewah said it was the responsibility of the police to protect life and property and that their presence in Sahn Malen at all times was to respond to security threat. He denied allegations that the police were working in the interest of the company to intimidate the locals, especially landowners. © Politico 07/11/13
