GIFT ROBERTS
Delta State government has vowed to revoke the Certificate of Occupancy of lands in choice locations in the state urban areas, whose owners have refused to develop.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, said that those, who government for more than two years have allocated such lands to but have not commenced the process of developing them, had till three months to start developing them or risk revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy of their lands.
The commissioner states this during a press briefing in the state on Monday.
He said that at the expiration of the three-month ultimatum, the government would invoke the provisions of the Land Use Act to revoke the C of O issued for the affected plots, and re-allocate same to willing investors and developers.
“As from today, we are giving them only three months’ notice, anybody who has been allocated a land with C of O issued by the government for more than two years, and has not commenced the process of development, the government will take advantage of the provision of Land Use Act and revoke the C of O and then make that land available to other persons who are ready to develop it,” he said.
He decries the distortion of the master plan of the cities due to the undeveloped plots of land.
“We want a transformed environment so we can’t continue to have bushes of undeveloped plots at the middle of our cities. We will not look at faces in enforcing this policy, even if you are the governor’s relation and you have refused to develop your land after two years of allocation, we will revoke the C of O.
“People applied for land and the government graciously gave them. Rather than develop such plots, they have continued to nurse the land, looking for when the price will appreciate for them to sell. For us, these are land speculators.
“We want those ready to develop to have access to land. You can’t apply for land and the government gives it to you only for you to go to Lagos or Abuja and sit down and allow our city to remain bushy because you are trying to make more money at the expense of our city.
“We have not employed anybody as a land banker. If we give you land, proceed to develop it. We are interested in fast-tracking our urban renewal drive.
“Some of the lands were allocated over ten years ago, and the only thing they do is to fence it and begin to nurture it for more dividends, that is not the reason it was allocated.
“We are convinced that with what we have put in road development, willing investors are interested in taking advantage of available land to develop and bring about employment and thus curb crime,” Aniagwu said.
He named the policy as ‘Operation Develop Your Land’.