Abayomi Susan
The Ebonyi State Government has warned individuals encroaching on lands designated for development centres and other government-owned properties to desist immediately, stressing that violators will face the full weight of the law.
The Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Matthew Nwobasi, issued the warning during an interactive meeting with the 64 Development Centre Coordinators at the ministry’s office in Centenary City, Abakaliki.
Expressing concern over the increasing rate of illegal occupation of public lands, Nwobasi reaffirmed the state government’s zero-tolerance stance on land grabbing. He explained that development centres were established by state law and operate independently of the local government system.
The commissioner clarified that at the end of their tenure, coordinators are required to hand over the administration of their development centres to their duly appointed successors, and not to local government chairmen, except where directed otherwise by the state government.
To safeguard government assets, Nwobasi directed all coordinators whose development centre lands have not been surveyed to carry out the exercise without delay and submit certified copies of the survey plans to the Ministry of Lands and Survey.
He further instructed coordinators whose surveyed lands have been encroached upon to immediately initiate legal processes to reclaim the affected properties.
The commissioner also disclosed that the ministry would soon embark on statewide inspections to verify land boundaries and identify illegal structures erected on government property. He warned that any coordinator found negligent in protecting government land would be considered complicit in the encroachment.
Supporting the directive, the State Surveyor-General, John Igbede, urged coordinators to ensure that the boundaries of their development centres are properly surveyed and clearly demarcated.
According to him, although host communities voluntarily donated land for the establishment of the development centres, unclear boundary demarcations over time have led to disputes and unauthorised occupation of government property.
“I encourage all coordinators to ensure that development centre boundaries are clearly defined and properly mapped. This will strengthen relationships between the government, host communities and other key stakeholders,” Igbede said.
Speaking on behalf of the coordinators, the Chairman of the Coordinators’ Forum and Coordinator of Ominyi Development Centre, Hon. Chidi Ogbonna, expressed concern over the growing incidence of illegal occupation of government lands.
He appealed for the state government’s support in recovering encroached properties and pledged that the coordinators would work closely with the Ministry of Lands and Survey, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to protect government-owned lands across Ebonyi State.
