NANISE NEIMILA
It was a historic moment for the Yavusa Waidau of Navuloa village in Ovalau after they received their full lease title for 473 acres of land from Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama in Levuka earlier this month.
The Yavusa Waidau is one of the four successful landowning units in Fiji to receive full freehold title under the Freehold Buy-back Scheme that the Government instituted many years ago.
“This land had once been alienated by our colonisers, but now it is yours again, and by law it cannot be alienated again,” Prime Minister Bainimarama said.
He told the villagers that they had a good plan and worked hard to execute that plan, which is why the title to the land came to them 11 years early, in just 19 years instead of 30.
“You will be an inspiration now to other communities who want to take full possession of their freehold land titles, and to all Fijians who have big ambitions and are willing to work hard and work intelligently to achieve them.”
Prime Minister Bainimarama urged the landowners to begin building their wealth by increasing the size of their Yavusa allotment (ikanakana).
“As you grow, your people will have a guarantee of a sustainable livelihood. Your toil to fulfil your financial obligations to Government is now over, and you can direct your efforts to building the future, to decide how you will use this land.”
“To the young generation of Yavusa Waidau, I urge you to build your talents and abilities so that you can help build this community.
Study hard, help your elders, and speak up with your own views. Our responsibility as Yavusa elders is to make sure that your voices are heard and your point of view is considered in all the decisions we make. This is the way we honour the values we all share as Fijians to respect the land, to be self-sufficient, and to be strong together, leaving no one behind.”
Speaking on behalf of Yavusa Waidau, Paula Ravutia said this day will go down in the history books as it is something that their forefathers initiated decades ago and now the present generation has achieved it.
“Today is an emotional day for us and we reflect on the struggles our forefathers had to encounter in the past years. The fifth payment to the Government reached the fifth generation and we can proudly say that our Yavusa made our own history by completing the repayment.”
“We would like to thank the Prime Minister and his government for the tremendous assistance rendered to the Yavusa during that difficult period where we had to make payments.”