Business
Govt Properties Recovery: Occupants Face Ejection
Illegal occupants of government properties will soon face forceful ejection as the ministry of housing gives kudos to the committee on the recovery of government properties. The Rivers State Commissioner for Housing, Marshall Stanley Uwom made the commendation when the committee members paid him a courtesy visit on Tuesday in his office in Port Harcourt. According to him, the ministry has in recent times inaugurated a similar committee on the ejection of illegal occupants of government properties, charged with the responsibility to eject illegal occupants in various low cost housing estates in the 23 local government areas and Housing estates at GRA Phase III, Igbo Etche and others. He lauded the approach of the committee to the challenges facing them, offering to release the conference room of the Housing Ministry to the committee for temporary use as office, adding that he will as well speak with the commissioner for transport for the provision of vehicle for their operations. On the issue of security he noted that it is not as worse as it were in the past, but advised the committee to write to the Rivers State police Command to assign some security agent to assist them in their assignments. Earlier in his address, the Chairman, Committee on the Recovery of Government Properties, Bar Okey Owhonda, said they came to acquaint the commissioner with the activities of the committee, saying that since the inauguration of the committee, it has developed a code of ethics for the members and has drawn up a comprehensive list of government owned properties. According to him, government has released a take-off grant to the committee and that the next on the agenda is to reach out to the members of the public through enlightenment campaign, advert and radio and television jingles. Barr Owhonda appealed for assistance to enable them meet numerous challenges facing the committee, which he said include office accommodation, to house and secure their documents and other valuables, transportation to enable them have access to locations of government properties and security problem, making reference to recent attack on the government enumerators at the Bundu waterfront.