Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Tom Ikimi, among other dignitaries, on Thursday, commissioned the Edo Built Environment Hub, which houses the Ministry of Physical Planning, Housing, Urban and Regional Development; Edo Geographic Information Service, EdoGIS; the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, and the Edo State Public Building and Maintenance Agency.
Speaking at the commissioning, Governor Obaseki, said his government has over the last eight years taken deliberate steps to improve land administration and sanitized the built environment sector to sustain investors’ confidence, as part of efforts to drive sustainable growth, progress, prosperity in the state.
Other dignitaries at the event include the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Blessing Agbebaku; the candidate of the PDP for the 2024 Governorship election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo; his deputy governorship candidate, Osarodion Ogie; Chairman of the Edo PDP, Anthony Aziegbemi, and the Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, among others.
Obaseki, who shared the story of how his land with a Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) was reallocated and resold by landgrabbers, said his government has sanitised the built environment sector and guaranteed security of lives and property, repositioning the State as one of the best places to live and do business in the country.
As part of the commissioning, the governor immortalized the late Daniel Omoigui, Nigeria’s first Surveyor General, naming the EdoGIS building after the late Surveyor General from Edo State.
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He said, “I had the privilege of serving as head of the economic team before becoming governor and just looking at Benin City, Edo State, the biggest value and asset that we have is our location and therefore our land in Edo State is premium.
“Location is everything when it comes to land and real estate. Because of the location of Edo State, the land is premium and there’s no way to realize the value and benefit of our land if it’s not well organized. Edo is one of the richest States in this country in terms of land resources.
“Our land transverses every aspect; we have swamp, rain forest and savanna. We have minerals, large reserves of gas but all of these need to be mapped and because when information is not available, it’s as good as having dead assets.”
Obaseki continued: “It was clear before I became governor that one of the first things we have to do is to start the process of getting the information of our land resources.
“One of the first processes we did was to make contact with one of the companies to help us provide and source the information on what we need on our land assets.
“We have always had a planned environment and by the time I became governor, it was another story. Our land administration process had collapsed.
“Even as a governor, I had a C-of-O on a property at Iyekogba and yet that property was resold and the new owner built on it. It’s terrible and that was the situation we met; we can’t develop in this manner.
“The process of developing a house was hijacked by CDAs as you have to settle them in all fronts before you complete your house as if they are building control. Land is the greatest asset anybody can have and the moment you administer the land well, things move on well.
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“We have provided security of lives and properties and Edo is now a place to live and do business as we have taken a deliberate step with sustained efforts, planning and hard work. The transformation in Edo State is as a result of proper planning.”
On development of various hubs across the State, the governor said, “The idea of the hub is cheaper, easier, and more efficient when government agencies are located and situated in one place.
“We have acquired more lands for the built environment sector as we have one in the right and the other in the left and this would amount to about nine hectares of land. All the agencies that will need to do something about the built space will be located here.”
On immortalization of Nigeria’s first Surveyor-General of the Federation, Daniel Omoigui, the governor stated, “We have an outstanding Edo legend who is not here with us but when he passed on few years ago, during his funeral service, I made a promise that being the first Surveyor General of the Federation of the Edo extraction, that we were going to honour him.
“Today as part of Commissioning, we are going to place a plaque to name this GIS Complex as Surveyor Daniel Omoigui Building.
“He is represented here by members of his family. He is a great man; read up on him and see the fight he fought for the creation and boundary adjustment for Edo State.”
While commissioning the building, Chief Ikimi, commended the governor for his developmental strides across various sectors of the State, noting that the project will enhance coordination and further reposition the state as a model for sustainable urban development.
