~ It’s not true – MD of Housing Corporation
By Our Correspondent
CONTROVERSY has trailed the development of Hill View Estate, Umuezulu Nkwele Ezunaka in Oyi local government area, which is the largest housing estate in Anambra State, with the owners of the land accusing the state government of distorting the original plan and reneging on the agreement reached during the acquisition.
But the state government, through the Managing Director of the Anambra State Housing Development Corporation, Mr Chike Anyaonu, faulting the claim, saying that government had fulfilled all the agreements with the community.
Addressing reporters at Nkwele Ezunaka, the chairman of Umuezulu community, Vincent Nwankwo, said that what is happening Hill View Estate is not what they agreed with the state government.
According to him, government has rezoned the entire area and distorted the master plan, thereby making the people to regret inviting government to help develop the area.
He said: “From our inquiry, we discovered that government ceded the major part of the estate to a contractor who is presently parceling and selling the plots to private individuals without carrying us along, an action that has distorted the entire Estate.
“That is why we decided to let Governor Chukwuma Soludo know what is happening and for him to investigate the happenings at the Hill View Estate. We know the governor loves a clean and well planned liveable environment and it is our belief that he does not know what is happening at Hill View”.
Counsel to the community, Chinedu Ufondu said that by the provisions of the land use decree of Anambra State,20% compensatory plots were to be allocated to the Umuezulu family who are the owners of the land.
He accused the state Housing Development Corporation of engaging a contractor, Master Holding, who he said, is selling areas mapped out for public utilities to individuals to build houses, contrary to the 2005 plan of the estate.
He said: “The estate was planned in a way that will satisfy both the residents, the community and everybody’s interest.
“There are 698 residential plots in the estate and nine utility plots codenamed SPO plots. These SPO plots are now being rezoned by the housing corporation and given to the contractor against the interest of the residents and the community, thereby defeating the original intention of having an estate people will be proud of.
“Worried by what is happening there, we sent emissaries to the governor, wrote the state House of Assembly, the Secretary to the State Government and held series of meetings with the Managing Director of the housing corporation, but the issue has persisted.
” We have advised our clients not to engage in protests or violent action to enable us dialogue peacefully with the state government.
” The estate should have social amenities like schools, hospitals, play grounds and worship centers, which were all provided in the master plan. In fact, the SPO plots were clearly marked ‘utility plots’ on the master plan, but they are no longer there as the housing corporation has converted them to residential plots. This is immoral and illogical.
“While we are not contesting the power of the housing corporation to review the plan, in this case, there is already an approved plan. Despite the three months pre action notice we filed in court, the contractors are presently building on the SPO plots.
“We are aware that government is not even getting any revenue from the rezoned plots in spite of the billions of naira it is yielding. The area in question has medium density of 800 square meters, while the low density area is about 1200 square meters. This is an estate that can qualify to be a community of its own, yet there are no social amenities.
“The only thing you see there are buildings and one can imagine a situation where the residents take their children to schools outside the estate everyday, when there are provisions for schools there. We are concerned because our people also reside in the estate.
” We gave out the land on business interest and it was not that government acquired it. Government was to give the community 35% of the plots, but later said it would give only 20% and even the 20% had not been given up till now. The community was also not paid any compensation on the land.”
But the Managing Director of the state Housing Development Corporation, Mr. Chike Anyaonu faulted the claims by the community, emphasizing that no activity was taking place there until the present administration came on board.
In a telephone interview, Anyaonu said: “The housing corporation has not redesigned the master plan it inherited.
The estate was established during the administration of Dr. Chris Ngige in 205 and since then, there had been many board members and Managing Directors of the housing corporation.
“The various administrations were redesigning the estate and it is only this administration that looked at it and discovered that nothing is going on there. We have asked the contractor to start work, otherwise the contract will be revoked, which is why you see all the roads being constructed in the estate.”
According to Anyaonu, the community has been paid the compensation for the land and the problem is that after selling their plots, they turn around to demand for more. The documents are there for everyone to see. Maybe they do not have the original document.
“As we speak, there is already an approval by the state Ministry of Education to establish public primary school in the estate and there are also provisions for markets, hospitals and recreation centers in the documents I inherited . We have not changed the plan since I came into office,” he said.
