The Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) has urged property owners and developers to commence construction on their allocated lands to transform the estate into a functional and vibrant residential area.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ossy Onuko, gave the advice in Awka during the commencement of the full enforcement exercise at Awka Millennium City Estate, Agu-Awka, Anambra state.
He said the exercise is part of the agency’s ongoing Operation Keep Awka Clean, targeted at ensuring proper urban planning and promoting active development across the capital territory.
He regretted that many real estate developers had acquired government lands with the caveat that they will be developed within three years, but have not yet commenced construction.
Instead, he said, they end up banking and speculating them for sale and resale, when the vaue appreciates.
This, Onuko noted, is illegal and contrary to the agreement the developers have with the government, and will not be condoned.
According to Onuko, ACTDA is committed to stopping land speculation and ensuring that all allocated land serves its intended purpose for the benefit of residents.
“ACTDA is working closely with the Anambra State Ministry of Lands to enforce development standards, revoke undeveloped plots when necessary and reassign them to developers who are ready to build within the stipulated period,
“Government cannot allocate lands to you to build model estates and support efforts at reducing housing deficit in the state, and you end up banking them to sell and resell when the prices go up. This is unacceptable.
“The ACTDA, working with the relevant line Ministries, will recover all the lands affected. If you want to do land banking, we can give you lands in the remote areas so that you can bank and resell, but these ones in our model cities, we are going to recover all the undeveloped lands and reallocate them to serious developers,” he stressed.
The Head of Development Control Unit of ACTDA, Mr. Charles Ekwunife, regretted the slow progress of work at the estate, describing it as disappointing, noting that the layout was intended to be a flagship development for Awka.
He explained that all allocated lands were expected to be developed in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the government and Awka Millennium City Estate, which stipulated that the estate should have reached an appreciable level of development within the first three years.
Earlier, the Facility Manager of Awka Millennium City Estate, Mrs. Nwanneka Nwachukwu, acknowledged the slow pace of development in the estate, noting that it has not reached more than 20 percent.
She, however, hinted that the estate management had engaged property owners through mails, meetings and sensitisation programmes to encourage development.
Nwachukwu commended ACTDA for its swift intervention, noting that it aligned with the vision of building a functional community rather than leaving the land undeveloped.
