By Emma Amaize
ASABA—A cell of land traders have unbelievably commandeered portions of land at the Delta State Government secretariat, popularly known as the Old Secretariat, housing several ministries, along Maryam Babaginda Road, Asaba, the state capital.
A top official in the Governor’s Office, Asaba and a director in the Department of Women Affairs, also in Asaba and civil servants, both serving and retired, were learned to be among those involved the money-spinning land deal.
They have not only erected permanent structures in the secretariat, but put them on rent to the public without government approval.
How the state government allowed its workers to appropriate government land to themselves and use them for personal benefits beats the imagination.
When Niger Delta Voice visited, it was gathered that many businesses, including restaurants, mini-boutique, business centres, laundry shops and provision stores were being operated in the premises without authorisation.
Our source said: “Some of the shops were built before Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan assumed office and because government is not doing anything about it, the officials were erecting more structures and collecting money from people.”
Bank mounts mast
Penultimate week, a financial institution which built a makeshift structure in the secretariat contracted a Kaduna-based company to erect a mast in the secretariat without the permission of the state government.
Probably due to the detached attitude of government to security in the premises, car thieves have a field day stealing vehicles parked in the secretariat. It was about a fortnight ago that the governor approved the fencing of the secretariat. But, even as the fencing was going on, Niger Delta Voice saw people jumping over it, during a visit, last week.
Commissioner for Housing, Chief Palinus Akpeki, who inspected the old secretariat, last Wednesday, warned the unlawful occupants to vacate the secretariat.
He said that government had, since last year, ordered the illegal occupants to quit, but they remained adamant.
A source said the illegal occupants believe that the government officials, who built and rented the shops to them, were powerful enough to abort any move by the Commissioner to sack them.
Intimidating pressure
Niger Delta Voice gathered that shortly after the Commissioner issued quit notice to the occupants, last year, some top government and Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, officials mounted suffocating pressure on him to look the other way.
…Renews quit order
Last week, when he visited, Akpeki renewed his quit notice, but some of the traders wondered why he was bent on evicting them, as they were told the matter had been resolved.
Operators of a restaurant and business centres in two adjacent buildings, behind the Information Community Technology, ICT, centre in the secretariat told reporters that the structures belong to a top official in the Governor’s Office and a director in the Women Affairs.
It was also gathered that that a civil servant, now late, popularly known as Abolo, built a number of permanent structures inside the secretariat, which were transferred to his children, who now collect rents from traders.
I pay N4,000 a month— Trader
One of the traders told Niger Delta Voice that she rented the room she uses for her business from one Mrs. Nkiru, who she pays N4, 000.
Akpeki asked one of the traders, “What did I tell you people when I came here, last year, did I not tell you that you are staying here illegally and that you should quit, why are you still here?
“You told us, but since then, nothing has happened, so we are still here, but they told us that they have written for approval, so we are hoping that our stay will be regularized,” she replied.
The commissioner said, “Government did not give approval for these permanent structures that were built here, it is illegal, we are going to destroy them, do not say we did not warn you.”
On the involvement of some top government officials in the racket, Akpeki said, “You heard what the people said, we are addressing the matter.”
We obtained approval—Nkiru
When Niger Delta Voice contacted Mrs. Nkiru, she confirmed that she was the owner of a structure in the place, adding, “We obtained approval from the Ministry of Works at the time the secretariat was opened to build temporal structures, but as the temporal structures dilapidated with time, some of us had to use blocks.”
She said when the Commissioner issued a quit notice, last year, those interested in retaining the place were asked to write fresh applications, which she did, but since then, there was no response from the Ministry of Housing.
According to her, “When I received information that the Commissioner for Housing visited the place on Wednesday, and even asked that they should tell me that he was there, I went to his office but did not see him.”
Uduaghan should act fast— Civil servants
Some civil servants, who spoke to Niger Delta Voice, wondered what the governor was waiting for to order the removal of the illegal structures, saying that they see many faces in the premises on daily basis and nobody knows who is who.
“We do not know if they are Boko Haram members, armed robbers, car thieves or spies. But every day, they troop in here.
“Even if you know that most of them are not civil servants from the way they appear, you cannot drive them away. There is no security here, anything can happen at any time,” a civil servant said.
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