The Imo Government says it has began acquisition of landed property in Owerri, the state capital to subsidize lands for civil servants and low income earners in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Physical Planning, Mr Noble Atulegwu made the disclosure while interacting with newsmen in Owerri on Tuesday.
Atulegwu said this had become necessary to accommodate civil servants and low income earners, who might not be able to afford the normal rate for lands in the capital city.
“The estates we have acquired include the Unity layout, Shared Prosperity layout, Riverside and 3R Estate, along Onitsha road,“ he said.
According to him, lands which were forcefully acquired from their owners have been recovered and returned accordingly, in line with Gov. Hope Uzodimma’s 3R mantra of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Recovery.
Atulegwu said that requisite arrangements were on ground to ensure a seamless process of allocation of lands to the rightful persons.
He also disclosed that the Ministry had raised its internally generated revenue by 80 per cent, with a set target of 110 per cent before the end of the 2023 fiscal year.
He however, he said that the ministry would never cut corners as mercenaries had been put in place to prevent land grabbing, address the rot in the system and restore the confidence of the people in the state’s land allocation system.
He promised speedy development of undeveloped and underdeveloped lands in the state capital and called on Imo people to line up behind Gov. Uzodimma to enable him complete his developmental goals for the state.
The commissioner disclosed that the state government had released guidelines for land allocation to interested residents of the state and the general public.
Atulegwu said that interested persons would need to apply for the lands, purchase and fill out the land allocation form and pay the required amount for each particular landed property into the state’s Treasury Single Account (TSA).
“‘Applicants would need to attach three years tax clearance certificate and two recent passport photographs to the form to enable us give attention to the application,“ he said.
Speaking, the Special Adviser to Uzodimma on Networking, Chantel Onwuzuruike, urged residents of the state to jettison allegations of non-performance on the part of the government coming from “disgruntled elements and enemies of the state”.
She pledged that with support for the governor, more dividends of democracy would be gained. (NAN)
