The Delta State Government has explained that it will soon withdraw the ownership of any undeveloped plot of land in Asaba and other urban areas in the State if no development commenced in the next three months.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner of information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, who gave the warning in Asaba, stating that some persons deploy the attitude of acquiring land from the state government but left such lands undeveloped for some time, saying that such situation was affecting the transformation of the environment through urban renewal efforts of the state government.
He said that the state government had decided to invoke Section 5 of the Land Use Act to drive the process of reclaiming undeveloped plots of land.
He said that nobody in government is looking for land to buy from those he termed as “land bankers’’ but rather the interest of the state government was to develop the state in all spheres.
Aniagwu also said that the Okowa administration was determined to its Urban renewal programme aimed at ensuring employment creation, strengthening of security and advancement of socio-economic development.
He said, with a Certificate-of-Occupancy from the state government, it would be counter-productive to leave an acquired land undeveloped after three to 10 years of acquisition.
He added, “Individuals who had acquired lands from the state government with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) have turned themselves into land bankers.
“This means that instead of such individuals to develop the acquired lands, they leave them hence we still see bushes all around our cities.
The Commissioner said that the decision was not meant to witch-hunt anybody, he said some undeveloped lands had become kidnappers den for robbers aside defacing the state capital and other cities in the state.
He warned that anybody with a C-of-O of two years and above on a parcel of land acquired from the state government, but without any sign of development, will have such land taken over by the government for better development.
He went further to say that, the government have not employed anybody as a land banker. Saying that
“you have been given a land with a C-of-O and you have refused to develop the land, the land will be revoked and given to those who need it.
He also added, “it is our interest to develop our state, to bring employment to our people and above all, providing security for our people in the cities.”
He said for clarification purposes, the lands involved are the ones in urban areas in the state that were acquired from the state government with C-of-O.
However, he also reveals the duration of time that the government will commence operations. Saying, “Three months is the maximum time for a land owner whose C-of-O is over two years to commence development, failure of such means that the C-of-O of such land will be revoked or taken back by the government
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