BY SUNNY DAVID
The Umueri community in Anambra east local government area of Anambra state has tasked owners of landed property in Oke Ebo and Unity Estates to develop them.
The community, speaking through Ikenga Umueri Progressive Forum, an umbrella body for all Umueri people said the idea was to bring development to the community and not to hand land over to people who plan to abandon them until land appreciates in cost.
The chairman of Ikenga Umueri Progressive Forum, Chief Frank Okolo Ibegbunem who addressed journalists after a meeting at the town square said after 31st August 2021, every land owner in the two estates who failed to develop them will have it confiscated.
“My predecessor in office sold a plot of land to people in the two estates at N25,000 each. That is a ridiculous amount of money to sell one plot of land, but what we did was to see if we can get people to develop and live in those places.
“We had previously given six months notice to owners of land in that estate to develop it or risk losing it, but people did not comply. We also gave another four months, but this time we are giving just one month, and anyone who fails to comply will lose their land.
“There is no where land is sold for N25,000 per plot. The idea is to get people to develop the estates and live in it. We are not saying they should build skyscrapers, what we are saying is that even if it is just one room you want to build and live there, please do it. If within one month people fail to develop their properties in the two estates, we will give them back their money and allocate the land to people who will develop them,” he warned.
Our correspondent recalled that the community had in time past faced hostilities with its neighbour, Aguleri, over land, and the idea of developing Oke Ebo and Unity Estates, which is also close to its boundary with Aguleri community was to forestall any form of encroachment.
