Bayelsa Lands Commissioner assures Diri on timely completion of new commissioners’s Qtrs
Lands Commissioner assures Diri on timely completion of new commissioners’s Qtr
The Bayelsa state Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Barr. Andrew Esau has assured the state governor, Senator Douye Diri of the timely completion of the proposed new Commissioners Quarters to be located at the new Yenagoa City in the state capital.
The commissioner gave the assurance on Wednesday in his welcome address when the governor performed the groundbreaking ceremony at the New Yenagoa City where the project would be sited.
While performing the groundbreaking ceremony, Senator Diri hinted that the funds to start and complete the proposed new commissioners’ quarter had already been sacked somewhere, assuring that the project would not stop until it is completed and commissioned.
The governor, who commended the former landlords for their sacrifice of giving up their right of ownership of the land to the state government, however, urged them to stop parading as though they were still the owners of the land after all necessary payments had been made to them by government.
“My dear brothers, the landlords of this land is no longer your community. The landlord of this pand today is the government of Bayelsa state.
“We have had reports and sometimes even protests of goingg to disrupt operations at the Airport.
“The moment, by the laws of this country, the state government acquires your land and pays compensations fully, it means that land is no longer your own,” the governor said, adding that the proposed new commissioners’ quarter would expand and add more ecstasy to the state capital.
The governor further noted that a new quarter for members of the State House of Assembly was in the offings, pointing out that it was a government deliberate policy to decongest the state capital and reduce housing issues in the state.
Expressing confidence in the commissioner for lands, housing and urban development to handle the project, the governor stated that the new commissioners’ quarter was expected to be completed in fifteen months.
Speaking earlier, the commissioner said the area which was established by law and placed under the management of the New Yenagoa City Development Agency was properly designed in layouts with 1,300 residential layouts including commercial plots, hospitality areas, recreationals amongst others, covering an area of 355.5 hectares of land.
While commending the governor for keeping to his campaign promises of turning Yenagoa into a modern city, Esau revealed that Diri had approved the funds for outstanding payments of compensations to the five communities that were the original owners of the new Yenagoa city as well as the acquisition of additional area up to the Airport Road.
The Lands commissioner urged the general public to dessist from acts of selling and buying or development of any portion of the area which he described as government planning area.
He said he and the Permanent Secretary and staff of the ministry were proud to be associated with the governor’s nobble vision of the first legacy housing project to be sited at the new Yenagoa city.
Esau emphasized that in line with the prosperirity administration’s housing policy, the foundation laying ceremony of the 504 social housing units and other 1,000 housing estate for the civil servants
and other labour workforce will soon be performed by the governorr.