C-River Govt Creates Land Bank For Industrialization
BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – To successfully drive its industrialization policies and project development initiatives, the Cross River Government is pursuing a Land Bank initiative in the State.
The Land bank is expected to guarantee availability of suitable development sites at any given time a project is conceived and earmarked for execution.
Speaking at the monthly ministerial press briefing, Commissioner for Lands, Professor John Inyang explained that the Land Bank Policy Initiative of Governor Ben Ayade’s administration is meant to forestall a situation whereby government would have to be in search of suitable project sites whenever development projects are planned for implementation.
Prof Inyang said the novel idea has become imperative because as long as government exists, the need to acquire land for development purposes would always arise.
The commissioner, who was not specific on the acres of land so far acquired across the state for the Land Bank policy, insisted that most paramount is for the initiative to ensure availability of suitable sites for projects whenever the need arises.
According to him, the arrangements is conceptualized in such a way that project sites would not be problematic in promoting the State government’s industrialization policy.
He listed projects that have already benefited from the Land Bank policy to include: The garment factory; Industrial Park; Cocoa factory; and the Cargo Airport project located at Obudu Local Government Area (OLGA) among others.
Prof Inyang also pointed out that government has made progress in ensuring land is available for development purposes in almost all the 18 Local Government Areas courtesy of the Land Bank Policy.
