By Ovat Abeng
Anambra State Government through the office of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) has commenced revocation of yet-to-be developed lands situated in various estates across the capital city of the state.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ACTDA, Hon Ossy Onuko who disclosed this in an interview with Journalists in Awka,on Thursday, said the move is part of the agency’s Operation Keep Awka Clean, a long-standing environmental sanitation and enforcement initiative.
He said the initiative is aimed at improving public safety, urban standards and aesthetic outlook of the State capital.
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Onuko warned those he referred to as land speculators and bankers with the practice of buying land as investment, and holding it for future use with no specific plans for its development to desist forthwith or risk revocation of such lands.
According to him, the Agency’s interest is on the real, serious developers who are ready to develop their lands to put the capital city on the world map so as to be named among the most developed cities in Nigeria.
He said, “For 3days now we’ve been carrying out what we call sustained and continuous operation Keep Awka Clean, an exercise we carry out at the beginning of every year.
He explained, “However, there’s something unique about this particular exercise.
“We’re going after organized real estate developers, allocated government lands with a caveat that they should have reached an appreciable percentage, say 70-80 of development within three to four years as the case may be.
“If they didn’t meet up such conditions, the land will be revoked. These things are spelt out in the MoU signed by Ministry of lands and Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA) when these estates were allocated.
“Today, we want to stamp our feet on the ground to say you can’t just approach the government and become land speculators and bankers waiting for values to appreciate to sell.
“We’re looking for real, serious developers who will put the capital city on the world map as one of the most developed cities in Nigeria.
“Those estates sold to people but yet to be developed will be revoked. We’re not taking the money, but the land. we’ll only give them back when they’re ready.
“Our emphasis is where we designated as model cities for estate development. We want to start developing them as fast as possible.
“Accidentally, the estate we’re going to make this statement today, the management has done their beat, by putting in place the basic infrastructure, including roads, sewage, drainage, water and electricity.
“But those that bought land in the estate are still speculating and hoping that the value will appreciate so they keep selling and reselling.
This is what we’re against. We want those who are ready to develop immediately they buy. Otherwise, we’ll revoke such land.
The ACTDA boss further hinted that letters were written to the concerned individuals ahead to avoid being taken unawares, adding that the agency was working closing with Ministry of Lands which supervise such activities.
“We’ve written them ahead of our coming so they’re not taken unawares. We’re working closing with Ministry of lands which these activities are purely under its purview.
“Our target today is to stimulate interests for other places. The Ministry will thereafter come up with a holistic enumeration of those given these properties but have defaulted,” he added.
Also speaking, the Head of Development Control Unit of ACTDA, Mr. Charles Ekwunife, described the slow progress as disappointing, noting that the layout was intended to be a flagship development for Awka.
He explained that all allocated lands are expected to be developed in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the government and Awka Millennium City Estate, which stipulated that the estate should have reached an appreciable level of development within the first three years.
