CORE AREA 2, MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

There is no smoke without fire- Ancient African sage

Situation reports on the activities of the Chief Frank Omare led Task Force on the Regularization of lands in Core Area 2 in Okpanam town of Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State have, among others, revealed two shocking facts in recent times.

The first being that for a fairly period running into years now, some individuals and groups have allegedly vended out Delta State Government owned lands at the Okpanam axis to no fewer than 2,190 buyers without the due consent and approval of the state government- the supposed lawful owner of the said pieces of land.

The second stunning, dazzling and startling revelation is the rippling disclosure that 95 percent of all these buyers, representing about 2,081 of the total land owners, are not indigenes of Delta State.

Both issues, as you may know, are stack facts which are not only biting on our very faces, but also inspiring and tingling to the probing ability of whoever gets to know of them.

On the first concern, Omare, in a press briefing held at the Government House, Asaba, explained that all the land owners- 1,540 of which have landed properties- were issued demand notices requesting them to, as a matter of urgency, visit the state ministry of Lands and Survey to regularize all documents relating to the ownership and development of lands in the state and, particularly, in that area.

He said the state government is appealing to all the affected persons to do the needful since it is not in the interest of government to demolish structures, especially in light of the festering economic downturn prevalent in the country. Upon such timely visit to the ministry, all affected persons are expected to regularize such documents as Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), approved survey plan as well as building plan.

Omare, however, specifically warned that: “at the expiration of the 90 days (ultimatum which had long started counting), government must be government because we cannot allow people to keep taking laws into their hands; if you have any issue, go and sort it out in the Ministry of Lands and Surveys and you will be cleared. But if you are not cleared there, then you can come to this office (Taskforce on Regularization of Government Lands) and you will be cleared”.

Well, that is the natural import of the ongoing debate regarding the moral wisdom encysted in the state government’s decision to realign the portion of land in the core area 2 after a fairly long period of leaving it in abeyance. This, nonetheless, is in spite of the fact that a room for a 30 percent off cost was magnanimously approved by the governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa. That is not my concern.

Since the commencement of the recovery exercise on lost government lands, my (usually mischievous you may say) seventh sense had continued to wonder on the issue and wander around what it actually portends for a giant and richly blessed state as Delta, the very finger of the Almighty creator. In all honesty, I am still at a loss, perplexity and bewilderment as to how the mammoth 2,190 land buyers successfully acquired their various parcels of land without having any positive reason to look back and reconsider the genuineness of whoever sold out such portions of land to them.

This is just as I am being continually pricked by the nibbling but consistent question of how people (Deltans in this case) comfortably and conveniently dispose of immobile assets (whether theirs or otherwise) to people without actually giving it a second thought.

If the state government actually acquired the said parcel of land constituting the core area 2, then it is only natural that it is in possession of the relevant documents transferring the ownership of that area it acquired in a legitimate manner. With that, the state government, through its ministry of Lands and Surveys and other relevant organs, could have reined on whoever trespassed into it and halted whichever construction process that was initiated by intruders.

All these should have happened long ago, long before when the first structure in that area was completely built!
Unfortunately as it seems, nothing was done all through the fairly long period that one can truly remember. In fact, some of the affected persons confidently hinted that there was no time when any government official (particularly those from the lands and surveys ministry, department, agency and taskforce) requested them to halt their acquisition and development of lands in the area under contention.

A very glaring question then is, how did the state government succeed at losing such a large expanse of land without anyone asking and probing into the issue since the recent past?

The only inferable reason from the ensuing chasm, if such claims are anything to go by, is that the officials in charge of government lands had sordidly shown much indifference to the overt acts of encroachment and trespass. And if that is actually the case, then it will only be totally just and fair for the land recovery taskforce to critically investigate why concerned government officials allegedly closed their eyes to the core area 2 encroachment saga.

It is very true and glaring that the state government is quite considerate and humanely thoughtful in its efforts to reclaim its lost property, but in the light of the festering economic slump which has incessantly widened the hole in the pockets and purses of citizens, every single naira and kobo means much to whoever owns it. Even if the 2,190 land owners plunged in the core area 2 saga are to pay (in naira terms) for the reclamation of their lands and the consolidated safety of their immobile structures, it is still very important for the body in charge of government lands to provide convincing explanations regarding the long period of deadness- as it relates to its actions- over the matter.

On the flip side of the issue, one needs to consider the frightening unfolding that a whopping 95 percent of all the 2,190 landlords entrapped in the core area 2 question are non indigenes of Delta State. On the topmost surface of this alarming matter, it is admissible that having a considerably large number of non indigenes in an area simply reflects how hospitable and accommodating that area is. Ditto in Delta State, uniquely reputed as Nigeria’s big heart, it is only usual that people from the other 35 states of the federation easily saunter in to seek greener pastures in both its public and private sectors.

Nevertheless, it is quite disturbing that the indigenes of the state are losing the core aspect of the state to outsiders. Reason? It is simple. In periods of war, just as in times of troubled economy and other indices of measuring the security and independence of a geographical area, the capital territory of any group of people remains the major pointer to their hopes and source of inspirations to press forward in whatever their agitations and collective dreams are. Once such territory becomes captured without any suitable terrain for relocation, the government of such territory inevitably collapses and surrenders.

Thank the Almighty Creator for our dear state which is not and is never likely to be at war. But it is quite unhealthy that the state government is not just losing its lands, but also losing them to outsiders. This is not to suggest that non indigenes should not be incorporated in the scheme of things in the state, but it is a clarion call for Deltans to brace up in the task of actively participating in the ownership and development of the state, particularly the state capital territory.

Development and urbanization naturally engenders the influx of guests in an area, but the original owners of the land must prop up their own veritable measures of keeping with the dictates of such exponential growth and geometric expansion. Delta State, particularly Asaba, is growing, hence Deltans must be active drivers of this growth; they must maximize whatever potentials the land presents.

In the paraphrased message of erstwhile governor James Ibori to his kinsmen, Deltans must remain part of the driving engine of the change and development taking place in Asaba and the state generally; we must invest in the town; we must set up our own shops, hostels, hotels, schools and industries. On this, we must march in step and be at par with the guests among us so that we will not be left behind in matters of investment and ownership in the state.

SOURCE: JOSHUA ERUBAMI