Former Enugu land commissioner’s house marked for demolition

By GIDEON ARINZE, Enugu

A duplex located in the Diamond City estate, Enugu in Enugu State, belonging to the former state Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Dr. Victor Nnam, has been marked for demolition by the state government.

In a notice served to the former commissioner on November 9, 2021, the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) cited violation of stop-work order as part of reasons for its decision to demolish the duplex.

ECTDA also alleged that the former commissioner had gone ahead to build the duplex without its approval. I, therefore, gave an order that the house be removed within 14 days.

However, there are indications that the latest move by ECTDA to demolish the house belonging to the former commissioner might be connected to his decision to make his resignation public as well as the circumstances surrounding it.

Although the former commissioner has been severally accused of corruption and complicity in land racketeering during his time in the ministry, the question of why his house was not marked for demolition while he was still an officer readily comes to mind.

The commissioner had in October resigned his appointment from the state government after his proposal to reform land administration in the state was, according to him, “turned down without any reason.”

In his resignation letter titled: ‘Letter of resignation of my appointment as the Commissioner for Land and Urban Development, Enugu State’, and dated October 29, Nnam said he was unhappy about the removal of the professional heads of departments in his ministry, which he alleged was on a punitive ground.

In the letter, Nnam alleged that the state Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, refused to approve his proposal for a Geometric Information System (GIS) land administration intended to stamp out land grabbers and create investors’ confidence in the state.

According to the state, “The reason for my resignation is the recent removal of the professional heads of the department under me on punitive grounds for simply doing their jobs diligently.

“My conscience will no longer allow me to continue to serve your administration while those innocent professional senior civil servants are punished for doing the right thing.”

But while the decision by ECTDA to mark the former commissioner’s house for demolition cannot be easily separated from his resignation, it is also necessary to question why the former commissioner resigned having spent more than one year in office when he should have resigned some months ago. (THISDAY)