From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
Ebonyi state government has threatened to revoke all the undeveloped plots in the state especially those in the government designated layouts.
The government said the undeveloped layouts have become a safe haven for criminals and vowed that it can’t close its eyes and allow the undeveloped plots to continue to be used by the criminals in their activities.
The Commissioner for Lands and Survey in the state, Chief Mathew Nwobashi who stated this in Abakaliki, the state capital at a press briefing, disclosed that the government has given a timeline for the owners of the undeveloped lands to develop them and that if they fail to do so, the lands would be revoked and given to serious developers who would develop them.
“We had on August 2023 set up a committee to look into the activities of Eguogboriga layout. I made public that last year of the government intentions to revoke all undeveloped plots in the government designated areas or layouts including Camp David, Nsugbe and other layouts that the government has given to people and they have refused to develop them.
“These areas have turned to a treasure island for criminals and the government cannot close their eyes and watch a hiding out for criminals to exist.
“It on this strength that we gave a timeline for people to go and develop those area failure which the government will takeover the lands and give to all serious developers that will help and develop our state”, he stated.
He noted that Eguogboriga layout in the state capital would be redesigned without delay.
According to him, the redesigning of the layout was to enable the government address land encroachment issues and other activities.
Nwaobashi said in the redesigning of the layout, more people who are ready to develop their plots would be accommodated.
He explained that the redesigning was part of recommendation by a 10 man committee earlier set up in August, 2023 by the government to look into activities in the Eguogboriga layout in Abakaliki capital city.
He opined that the committee headed by Benjamin Ezeoma at the end of their findings, observed that there were illegal structures at the layout.
The Commissioner directed removal of illegal structures defacing the layout and that encroached areas yet to be developed should be allocated to new people who are ready to develop the land with immediate effect.