Reading the letter of the State Governor, Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Moses Ije Odunwa, said that the State government, has investigated the lands, and discovered massive encroachment by some people.
"The Ebonyi State Government through the Ministry of Lands and Survey has observed the massive encroachment into the Lands, originally designated for public purposes at Aguogboriga Layout. The State government, through a committee constituted by the Ministry of Lands and Survey, has investigated this matter and confirmed that a vast portion of the layout has been massively encroached upon by communities, individuals, and some State actors."
He frowned that design of the layout has been distorted with illegal structures, which has become an obstruction for the layout design, and therefore, implored the State House of Assembly, to approve the request, to remove those illegal structures.
"Regrettably, the original town planning design of Aguogboriga layout is now distorted with structures scattered allover the areas, originally designated for public purposes. These Structures have become obstruction to layout design, including construction of access road and public facilities for use by individuals living with in the layout."
"Mr Speaker and Honourable Members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, I am constrained to request the approval of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, to enable the government remove all the illegal structures erected on plots, originally designated for schools, hospitals, police station, and other public purpose."
The Letter of the State Governor, Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru was accepted as a Working document of the State House of Assembly, through a motion that was moved by the Leader of the House, Rt. Hon. Kingsley Ikoro, and seconded by the member representing Ikwo North State Constituency, Hon. Ifeanyi Nwakpu.
Speaking in support of the request, the Leader of the House, Rt. Hon. Kingsley Ikoro said, that the request was important, adding that it will restore the Aguogboriga layout to what the initiators intended it to be. He said that the illegal structures, has made it difficult to actualize the plan of the layout, and beseeched his colleagues, to support the expeditious approval of the request.
"This is a very important request, given that at the beginning, there was a plan for the layout, which means that the layout has been mapped out, and so many places designated as public parks, hospitals, and the rest of them, but as it is today Mr Speaker, a lot of illegal structures have taken over the place and defaced the layout. Today, you can not even construct a very good road there because, because most of those structures have been erected on areas, ab initio that was roads. So Mr Speaker, I think, for us to have a very clean environment, and a very good society, there must be planning, and in planning the layout, expansion of the layout was taken into cognizance, but because of these illegal structures, those plans can no longer come to fruition."
Contributing, the Member representing Ezza South State Constituency, Hon. Friday Ogbuewu, said that the request of the State Governor was timely, adding that approval of the request, will be a way of supporting the policy of the State government, in ensuring that the State was given the desired aesthetic, and maintained that people, who built on the land are aware that their structures are illegal.
"Ordinarily, the people who are responsible for erecting these structures are already aware that their structures are illegal because, they have no approval of the government, and that is why I stand that this request of His Excellency, be given expeditious consideration, to support his programs and policies."
On his part, the Member representing Ebonyi North West State Constituency, Hon. Aloysius Nwodo, maintained that it was not appropriate, for an individual or cooperate body, to erect any structure in the land without approval from the government, despite mapping out the layout, to achieve sustainability in environmental management, and as well as , achieve legal and required aesthetic outlook, and implored his colleagues, to support the approval of the request.
The Speaker of the House, Chief Moses Ije Odunwa, described the people, who built the illegal structures as "land-grabbers", adding that it will amount to impiunity, they will be allowed.
"Allowing such structures will amount to impunity, because, what it means is that, they are mainly "land grabbers", people who can get into a land where they were not approved to build or develop, to erect buildings."
The Speaker however, put the motion on voice votes, and it was unanimously accepted. He directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs Edene Uche Blessing, to draw up a memo, informing the State Governor, Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, the approval of his request.
Theophilus Ifeanyi Igwe,
Chief Press Secretary to the Right Honourable Speaker,
Ebonyi State House of Assembly.
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