Enugu State Government Launches Committee for Land Reconciliation and Compensation”

Enugu State Government has inaugurated the Inter-ministerial Committee for property/land reconciliation and compensation in the state.

The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, who inaugurated the Committee on Tuesday in Enugu, charged the members of the committee to carry out their duties diligently.

The membership of the committee includes the SSG, who serves as the chairman; the Hon. Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kingsley Tochi Udeh (member), and Engr. Gerald Otiji, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure (member).

Others are Arc. Uchenna Nwatu (member), Surveyor Justus Chime, the Acting Surveyor-General of the state (member), and Barr. Juliet Okonkwo, who serves as the secretary of the committee.

Prof. Onyia said the committee is expected to verify all documents related to lands and properties in any designated area assigned for construction and asked them to verify all the constitutionally approved documents.

The SSG charged the committee to reconcile all issues of double allocation and to do a thorough verification of all allocation and payment.

According to him, they are to resolve all issues of land acquisition, recommend the amount of compensation to be paid, and also ensure that the compensation is paid to the right person.

Responding on behalf of others, the Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, thanked the state government for setting up the committee to deal with land and property matters in the state.

“This government has a human face in whatever it does. We know we are about to embark on massive infrastructural development across the state, from the city to the nooks and crannies of the state.

“And of course, we know that the infrastructural development will from time to time affect the status quo where people live, how people live, and we know that when they are affected, there should be a mechanism in place to cushion the adverse effect of this development,” Udeh added.

While emphasizing that the committee was constituted because of the reason, he pledged that they would discharge their responsibilities creditably to ensure that no one is left behind, which he said would free the state from unnecessary litigations.