The newly sworn-in Enugu State Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Barr Chimaobi Patrick Okorie, has been charged to spearhead the state’s radical reforms in land administration.
Gov Peter Mbah gave the charge while swearing in the commissioner on Friday. Mbah expressed confidence that Okorie would use his wealth of experience to effect the desired reforms in the state land administration.
According to him, “With his rich background in the ICT sector, the new commissioner is expected to spearhead our ongoing radical reforms in land administration. Our goals are very clear: we are automating our land title processes to facilitate the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy in not more than 72 hours.
“With the enactment of the Enugu State Geographic Information Services (EN-GIS) Law and Enugu State Properties Protection Law, we now have legislation for the digitization and digitalization of the land registry, protecting the citizens from land grabbers, ensuring transparency in all aspects of engagement with government and enabling self-service. The processes for obtaining building approvals are also being overhauled to save time and improve efficiency.”
The governor said his administration was de-risking investment in key sectors by providing access to land, providing support infrastructure, and managing engagement with host communities, among others.
In his words, “We are focused on growing our economy exponentially, creating wealth, and addressing crimes and insecurity.”
Our correspondent reports that Barr Okorie takes over from Prince Lawrence Ezeh who was deployed to the Ministry of Science and Technology.