BY RAPH ONYEKACHUKWU, OWERRI – Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha warned on Thursday that his administration will revoke all undeveloped plots of land, especially those located at the Industrial layouts in the State.
He said government will no longer tolerate a situation where people acquire land and keep for years without any development plans but only waiting to sell such plots at very exorbitant prices later.
Governor Okorocha dropped the hint when members of the Owerri Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OCCIMA) visited him at Government House Owerri.
According to him, as part of measures to improve the business environment and attract investors to the State, the government has directed that all the link roads to Onitsha Road Industrial Layout and Industrial Park be worked on immediately, including the one linking World Bank Estate and Onitsha road.
The governor also said his administration is determined to revamp all the moribund manufacturing companies in the state, public or private, adding that stock taking of all the companies involved is on-going stock with a view to getting them back on production track to create jobs in their various localities.
“My dream and vision now is to address the issue of manufacturers in Imo State, as the State is now ready for manufacturing and industrialization. Owerri is now the fastest growing City in Nigeria, comparable to Lagos and Abuja. Real Estate is growing geometrically but my concern is that the manufacturing sector is not moving in the same speed”, Governor Okorocha said.
He further stated that; “We have now come out with a clear policy that we must encourage genuine manufacturers, those who create jobs and not suppliers or dealers on products. We are talking about those that take raw-materials and put them into finished goods creating chains of opportunities for distribution, manufacturing and consumption”.
“I have equally ordered that all unutilized sites of manufacturing at the Onitsha road industrial area be revoked, the fences and gate houses cleared for serious manufacturing companies to come and take over. Most owners of lands there are not manufacturers, they simply used the opportunity to grab lands and keep them there for sale. We have decided to revoke all unused lands there”, Owelle Okorocha said.
In his remarks, President of the Chamber, Dr. Igwe Nnadumije praised the governor for remembering the manufacturing sector in the State and promised the Chamber’s collaboration towards industrializing the State as an investment haven.
He pleaded with the governor to construct the ring roads within Onitsha road industrial area, stating that most manufacturers who own industries around the area find it difficult to access their factories for efficient productivity and service delivery.
