5000 Allotees Get Land
From John Iwori in Yenagoa
Some 5000 individuals and corporate bodies have been allocated land to build their own houses in the Bayelsa State capital, Yenagoa.
Similarly, construction of a modern airport with the survey and topographical test completed has started at Wilberforce Island, the site of the state owned Niger Delta University (NDU).
The state Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Dr. Peter James Okpolovie, who disclosed this in an interaction with newsmen in his office in Yenagoa, revealed that the state government has acquired what he called Bayelsa House in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He explained that the provision of land to allotees has settled the lingering problem of so many people having paper allocation without any actual land to back it up.
According to him, the state executive council has not only adopted the Yenagoa master- plan as an official working document for the development of the state capital, but has also made provision for the acquisition of more landmass for individual and civil servants.
Okpolovie emphasised that the idea of getting the Bayelsa House in Abuja was to enable the people of the state to have a place to stay and transact business in Abuja instead of resorting to hotels and guesthouses in the place.
"Several opportunities abound for Bayelsans in Abuja. In fact in most cases, the people of the state hardly fill up the state quota in the various federal government agencies and parastatals in the FCT. We made our findings and discovered that one of the basic factors responsible for this problem is that many Bayelsans don�t have a place to stay. And you will agree with me that the cost of staying in hotels is very high," he said.
That is why state government came up with the idea of acquiring a Bayelsa House to meet the accommodation needs of the people while in Abuja", the commissioner further explained.
Enumerating the achievements of his ministry, since he was appointed a commissioner one year ago, Okpolovie said the state government has acquired land for the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), mechanic village, and cattle rearers, even as he stated that the governor and his deputy new lodges across Epie creek have been 90% completed.
According to him, when the governor and deputy governor lodges are commissioned and occupied early next year, the present office and residential houses of the number one and two citizens of the state would serve as offices for other top government functionaries.
He enjoined property developers to adhere strictly to the Yenagoa master plan, because as he put it: "the state government will not hesitate to pull down any structure not built in line with the plan, no matter the status of the persons involved".
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