Cheating landowners

MAINGE clan is located in the Baimuru village along the Sepik Highway, East Yangoru local level government.
The clan gave a lot of its resources, especially land to be used for building schools (Nindivi Primary school) and many feeder roads that benefited the public.
Just recently, a company was awarded a K10 million Sepik highway maintenance contract under the Australia-PNG partnership programme.
The project would do general maintenance of the Sepik Highway from Wewak to Yangoru and then to Maprik.
The company upon setting their base signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Mainge landowners to set their operating base.
After the signing, the company moved in its machineries and began work in early October 2018.
The clan leader Arnold Maimbara now claims they were rushed by the company into signing the MoA without proper consultation with other landowners.
The agreement does not state anything about the rental payments towards the land the company operates from.
The only payment they received comes from their gravel and sand that the company pays K3.50 per cubic.
There was a confrontation between clan members and the company officials at the base.
All operations have stopped until a proper meeting was held to address the issue.
It seems the villagers have been cheated on their land.

Wangoro Kalimo