…residents laud swift response by Ministry of Physical Planning
By Aichienede Akhabue Goodluck
The Edo State Government has reassured residents of the State of its commitment to put an to the reign of land grabbers and persons notorious for disregarding building plans in the State.
The reassurance was given by the Commissioner for Physical Planning, Housing, Urban and Regional Development, Ms. Isoken Omo, when she led the enforcement team of her ministry on a demolition exercise in Uteh Community, Upper Mission Extension, Benin City.
The demolition exercise became imperative following a distress call by residents through a video of the illegal construction of a perimeter fence on a road, by the Proprietor of Divine Providence School, along Palace Road in Uteh Community, which went viral on various social media platforms at the weekend.
The fence in the viral video was illegally constructed to grab an existing road and convert it to a private building thereby preventing residents of the area from accessing their houses.
Worried by the viral video, Ms. Omo swiftly led her enforcement team in company of some security personnel to the area to demolish the fence and reclaim the access road.
The private school was sealed off as its fence was previously marked for infractions, while other properties in the area that contravened building approvals were also sealed off.
According to the Commissioner, the action was taken to forestall a crisis that was brewing in the area and to ensure that land grabbing and sheer disregard for building approvals in any part of the State are nipped in the bud.
Ms. Isoken Omo warned that the Edo State Government will not condone any act of illegality that will jeopardize the progress and efforts of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government in putting an end to the menace of land grabbing in the State and asserted that her ministry’s mandate will be pursued vigorously.
She appealed to residents of the State to report any cases of infractions or land grabbing in their locality through a dedicated call line of the Ministry:
She noted that her Ministry will continue to work assiduously to eradicate the issue of land grabbing in Edo State.
Residents of the area expressed gratitude to the State Government for the prompt and swift intervention of the ministry.
Other government officials that accompanied the commissioner to the site were the Director of Enforcement and Development Control in the Ministry, Mr. Henry Enabulele, other staff of the ministry and some Security Personnel.
