The Request raises concerns regarding the implementation of the Bank-financed Nigeria: Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (P163353). The Requesters allege that Project-related construction has caused them significant harm due to improper resettlement and inadequate compensation for their commercial properties.
The Request alleges that as a result of Project construction, the Requesters’ commercial properties were demolished in April and May 2026, without prior notice, consent or compensation. It further alleges that the Requesters lost valuable items and materials during the demolition. In addition, the Requesters add that economic trees, cash crops and vegetables from their agricultural land, which are part of their ancestral land, were cut down and weeded away. They claim that these impacts have resulted in the loss of their livelihoods, including income from leasing their properties and the weekly sales of vegetables produced on their agricultural land.
The Panel conducted its initial due diligence of the Request and met with the Requesters on May 22 and June 1, 2026. The Panel confirmed that the Request did not meet one of the admissibility criteria for Registration. The Panel considered that Management was not made aware of the issues raised in the Request prior to its submission, as set out in paragraph 14(d) of the Operating Procedures, and it issued a Notice of Non-Registration on this basis. The Panel advised the Requesters on the Panel Process and the admissibility criteria. The Notice of Non-Registration does not preclude the Requesters from submitting a future Request for Inspection related to this Project.
