Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi, has ordered for a fresh recertification of Certificates of Occupancy(C of Os) in the state.

Speaking at the second Land Summit organised by the State Ministry of Lands and Survey, yesterday in Port Harcourt, Governor Amaechi said the exercise had become imperative to check the corruption in land documentation.

He directed the commissioner,’’ to write to all the banks that anybody without the current certification that Rivers State Government should not be held responsible for anything that happens to their loans’’.

He stressed the need for proper management of land as that would boost economic activities and inject sanity in property development, as he decried the rising level of encroachment on government properties by land speculators.

The governor noted,’’ If you had given out your land and you had being paid compensation you had no right to go back to that land ‘’.

Amaechi explained that the current computerization and up-grading of the state land registry was not only geared towards checking corruption in land documentation, but to authenticate land owners,’’ lawlessness is not the only problem, because the easiest way to bring investment to Port Harcourt was to unlock capital and land is capital .’’

Aside generating revenue for government, the Governor believed that,’’ proper management of land was important so that anybody who had a C of O has capital for himself .’’

He therefore, assured that his administration was ready to carry out massive land reforms to drive development in the state.

Speaking earlier, Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Barrister Ezemonye Ezekiel-Amadi disclosed that the new computerisation and recertification exercise had earned the state about N2.5 billion since it begun in 2009.

Nevertheless, he revealed that owners of certificate of Occupancy owe the State Government N3.5 billion arrears of ground rent.

The Commissioner warned that the situation may compel government to enforce the law,’’those who hold fake certificates need not bother coming to us because we will ultimately retrieve from them, those government properties they illegally occupy’’.

He restated the commitment of the government to provide electronic platform for all real estate transactions in the state.

Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Amal Pepple speaking through Mr. Tete Inametie has assured of a coordinated land reforms and harmonisation of acquisition process in the country.

She averred that easy access to land was crucial to the realisation of the President’s transformational agenda, while promising to support the states in capacity building and training of staffers to achieve the vision.