Governor Hope Uzodimma’s administration has approved the restoration of lands forcefully and illegally acquired by the administration of Rochas Okorocha, Emeka Ihedioha and other previous governments.
The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba,who announced this while briefing press newsmen on the outcome of the State executive council meetings said Exco ordered for the immediate revoking of all C of Os of all illegally allocated plots in and around the state capital.
This he said was sequel to the adoption of the white paper on lands and related matters which was recommended by the Panel of Inquiry on Lands in the state.
He said Council equally approved the restoration of the original names and plans of all layouts within Owerri capital territory.
Emelumba said: “The Exco decided that all public lands wrongly allocated to Individuals will be revoked by Government and returned to the original owners. All layouts whose nomenclature were wrongly changed will be returned to their original names.
“The Permanent Site of Government House which was mapped out and designated as such but was balkanized by previous administrations will be recovered and restored fully, and any structure or building erected in the permanent site will be revoked and removed to restore the permanent site to its original design.
“All other illegal structures erected anywhere within Owerri Municipal and its environment that distorted the original Master Plan will be regarded as an illegal structure and will be demolished to restore the old Owerri Master Plan. This applies to Arugo-layout, Ekwema-layout, and other such Government layouts anywhere in Imo State.”
You may recall that the Emeka Ihedioha’s administration had set up a Panel of Inquiry during the wee days of his administration at the wake up call of series of allegations bordering on illegal and forceful acquisition and take over of lands by the Rochas Okorocha administration, to carefully look into all land and related issues.
Gov. Hope Uzodimma amongst many other things had decided to continue with the Panel since it was for the general good of the state and Imolites thereby not giving himself up for party politics and as at today, justice and equity has prevailed.
Emelumba said: “The Exco decided that all public lands wrongly allocated to Individuals will be revoked by Government and returned to the original owners. All layouts whose nomenclature were wrongly changed will be returned to their original names.
“The Permanent Site of Government House which was mapped out and designated as such but was balkanized by previous administrations will be recovered and restored fully, and any structure or building erected in the permanent site will be revoked and removed to restore the permanent site to its original design.
“All other illegal structures erected anywhere within Owerri Municipal and its environment that distorted the original Master Plan will be regarded as an illegal structure and will be demolished to restore the old Owerri Master Plan. This applies to Arugo-layout, Ekwema-layout, and other such Government layouts anywhere in Imo State.”
