27th October, 2022
By Jethro Ibileke
Stakeholders from 30 communities in Edo south senatorial district of Edo State on Wednesday met in Benin, to review government’s efforts at improving land administration in the state and addressing the menace of land-grabbing.
The meeting which was at the behest of Governor Godwin Obaseki, was attended by traditional and community leaders from the respective communities.
Other stakeholders at the meeting include the Nigeria Institute of Landscape Horticulturists, the Nigerian Institute of Architecture, the Nigeria Institute of Builders, Nigeria Institute of Engineers, Nigeria Institutes of Surveyors and Nigeria Institute of Town Planners, amongst others.
During the interactive session/workshop, the Governor noted that the registration of a community land is the only proof of ownership of the land by the people of the community.
He further disclosed that his administration will leave a master plan of the state as legacy of his administration.
According to him, “Every community must come to register its land with the government to enable us to document it within our master plan. If you don’t register it, it’s not your own.
“Registration is now proof of ownership of community land and before you sell, you have to show us your layout which must conform with our master plan or else we will not allow you to sell.
“If there is one thing this administration will be leaving behind, it’s a master plan for Edo people, looking out for the next 30 years. As a government, our plan is to give the state and the people a direction to follow.
“Our master plan will be our Bible as every building must conform with the master plan. We don’t want the issue of collapsed buildings in the state.”
He continued: “There must be a building approval before building commences going forward. Every building must have a master plan.
“We are trying to make our cities beautiful and attract investors. Mistakes have been made, but we can’t continue in the same way, going forward.
“We, as an administration, will put an end to the land grabbing issue in Edo State. Every inch of land taken by land grabbers from the owners will be retrieved and returned back to the owner and we will ensure that the owners conform with the state’s master plan.”
The Governor disclosed that as part of his government’s efforts to improve land administration, cost of obtaining a C-of-O is the cheapest in Africa, which he however disclosed that would be increased from January 2023.
He therefore urged Edo people to do the needful and take advantage before the increased.
“We have made substantial investment in Edo-GIS and will not have a situation again where land grabbers will operate. When you do not have a master plan and a layout, there will be confusion.
“We are here to show you the master plan and how to ensure this is implemented to the fullest. This can’t be possible without your support. After the master plan, nobody will build any house going forward without a building plan.
“No more indiscriminate building of houses without conforming to our master plan. Every money stolen from victims by land grabbers will be returned. We must ensure they don’t exist again in our land. We are planning because we don’t want our state to fail.
“The land is important to us because all we do is done on the land. For over 700 hundred years, we have developed a land management system that all are aware of and respect. The Benin Empire is one of the most organised in Africa in the way we carry out our affairs as a state,” he added.
On his part, the Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, added that the present government will ensure that the issue of land grabbing is a thing of a past.
He therefore reminded heads of the various communities of the need to register their lands and ensure it is gazetted, “to ensure that the land grabbing issue become a thing of the past.”