Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Ogun State House of Assembly has concluded arrangements to work with the executive arm of the government to create a special taskforce that will handle all forms of complaints emanating from the activities of land grabbers in the State.
This initiative is coming on the heels of series of complaints received on the activities of land grabbers in Ogun State.
Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo made this known during a Television programme, monitored in Abeokuta tagged, ‘The Surveyors and You’ Sponsored by Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, Ogun State chapter.
Hon. Oluomo who spoke on the AntiLand Grabbing Law and its effects to the development of the State averred that the state anti land grabbing law has been effective to some extent, but need the cooperation of all stakeholders for it to be more functional.
He said there have been series of enlightenment for the public to have proper information on the law, adding that the Assembly have sent copies of the law to all the traditional institution and Baales to make them aware of its existence.
He said the government will create an agency that will implement the law to the letter.
His words: “We are looking at how we are going to create a law that will established a Special Taskforce that will implement the law to the letter.
“If you look at what the law have achieved so far, the law requires all stakeholders to be functional. It requires the police, land owners and the general public to cooperate and ensure that the activities of the land speculators are checkmated.
“If all of us cooperate and do what is expected, it will reduce land grabbing issue.
“We received average of ten petitions daily and 80% of them are on land matters.
“So we have started discussing with our members on what we can do to allow the issue received the attention it required.
“We will discuss with the Executive arm of government to make sure that we workout on an agency of government that people can just walk into and lodge their complaints, like public compliant commission,. People can lodge their complaint on any issue pertaining to land grabbing and the task force will be empowered to act on those issues.”
Speaking on the law, the Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, Ogun State Chapter, Surveyor Ademola Adebowale thanked the government for enacting the law saying that the law has averagely achieved the reason it was created.
While calling for more public enlightenment, Surveyor Adebowale said the activities of land grabbers has adversely affected the development of the State as investors are always scared because of the roles the land grabbers play daily.
“For the law to have been in place at all it’s a plus. There should be awareness. People should be aware of it’s existence,” he said.