Imo State Indigenes Reacts, As IMHA Moves To Adopt Land Use Charge Bill

Discordant tones seem to have greeted the passage of the Land Use Charge Law 2020 by the Imo state House of assembly. The bill which was passed into law on Wednesday last week is an Executive bill and was presented by the Majority Leader, Hon Uche Ogbuagu representing Ikeduru state constituency.

According to a statement from the Speaker’s Media office,the new law seeks to “provide for the consolidation of property and land based charges and make provisions for the levying and collection of land use charge in Imo state”

The speaker,Imo state House of Assembly, Rt.Hon. Chiji Collins,is quoted as saying that” the bill was worked on to ensure an affordable rate that would not put unnecessary burden on Imo citizens”.

The statement reads in part “Mr Speaker charged the executive to ensure effective sensitisation of Imo citizens to key into the law and see reason to cooperate with relevant authorities,” the statement read.

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“He also called on those saddled with the responsibility of implementing the new law not to take advantage of the law to put unnecessary burden on the people, urging that the law should rather be used for the benefit of the people.

“Mr Speaker also solicited for the understanding of the Imo State Indigenes Reacts, As IMHA Moves To Adopt Land Use Charge Bill over the new law and assured that the state assembly would monitor its implementation when assented to by the governor, to ensure its transparency to the extent that it would not add unnecessary burden on the people of the state.”

However, some observers have come out to criticize the approach adopted by the present Assembly in handling such sensitive bills as there were no evidences of consultation with the Imo indigenes and public in the state.

According to one of the commentators, a bill that would place some demand on the citizenry would demand for Public hearing for the stakeholders to make input warning at efforts that will prove counterproductive with investors scared from continuing with property development in the state.