Enugu Gov’t Inaugurates Committee On Status Of State Property

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Thursday, inaugurated a nine-man ad-hoc committee to identify and determine the status of all property belonging to the state government.

The committee, headed by the deputy chief of staff to the governor, Prof Malachy Okwueze, is also saddled with the responsibilities of determining the level of compliance with monetization of the Enugu State government’s property and identifying the state government’s landed property in and out of the state.

Other terms of reference of the committee are to verify the claims of individuals or corporate bodies to the Enugu State government’s property; identify the level of indebtedness of individuals and corporate bodies to the state government with respect to government’s landed property allocations, and to make further findings and/or recommendations that are reasonably incidental to the attainment of the above objectives’.

Inaugurating the committee, Gov Ugwuanyi, represented by the secretary to the state government, Prof Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, said, “Consequent upon the creation of Enugu State from the then Anambra State, on 27th August, 1991, and the exit of part of Ebonyi State from Enugu State on 1st October, 1996, assets-sharing between Enugu State and Ebonyi State took place.”

The governor said some of the property Enugu State also acquired, which ‘may be found in the state or other parts of the country’, had been monetized, stressing the need to identify and determine their status.

“This will aid government to know the exact number of property it owns, their status, their proprietary and possessory rights of occupants, and the necessary actions to be taken by the state,” he said.

The committee, which is expected to complete its assignment within two months of its inauguration, has Mr Livinus Okoro (auditor general, Enugu State), Charles Chuks Ngene (deputy director, Town Planning), Esv Dennis N. Ezema, Surv Kingsley Chime, Chief Jeff Ogbodo, Mr Joshua Udeh, and Mr Ebuka Odoh as members, while Mr Okeke Onuora Monday, Esq, serves as the secretary.

The committee chairman, Prof Okwueze, thanked Gov Ugwuanyi for finding them worthy to serve the state in that capacity, and pledged that they would discharge their duties diligently in line with the terms of reference.