Dikachi Franklin, Owerri
Hope Uzodimma, Governor of Imo State on Tuesday signed into law two Executive Bills passed by the Imo State House of Assembly on security and land matters.
The Bills are – “A bill for a law to establish Imo State Security Organization to assist in maintaining Law and Order in the State and Related Matters therein.
“A bill for a law establishing Imo State Land Administration and Geographic Information Service for the purpose of regulating land administration in Imo State and other related matters therein.”
Speaking at the Sam Mbakwe Exco Chambers after signing of the bills , Governor Uzodimma pointed out that “the two laws could not have come at a more auspicious time than now, owing to the security challenges of Imo State and Nigeria presently characterized by militancy, politically influenced violence, assassinations, attacks on police and police formations, kidnapping and all the rest of different crimes.”
He said government decided to send the all important Imo Security Organization Bill to the House of Assembly for considerstion and passage.
The Governor explained that the objective of the security law is to assist the law enforcement agencies in the maintenance of law and order and to ensure that the security of lives and property in Imo State is protected.
“The law will equally assist in preventing unauthorized persons from being in possession of firearms and also collect intelligence that will assist security agencies in Imo State to go into action and do their work better”, he said.
Uzodimma said “the Imo State Land Administration and Geographic Information Service Law is meant to address the hydra-headed petitions and complaints about illegal land acquisition by individual and past administration whose judicial inquiry has snowballed into white paper recommendations and gazettes meant to sanitize land administrations in the State.”
The Agency established under this law, according to the Governor, “will be in-charge of the automation of land and property information in the State with the main objective of identifying land ownership, in providing customer care experience as well as a platform for data aggregation that will enhance smart, effective and efficient governance in land administration.”
Governor Uzodinma highlighted that the law will ensure robust policy framework for effective land and property management which will bring about value addition to land and property value chain.
“With the signing of the bill into law Imo State will experience a new and improved land administration,” and commended the Speaker and Members of Imo State House of Assembly “for continually rising to the occasion whenever there is need for the two arms to synergize in salvaging Imo from crisis situations.”
He advised all those involved in fraudulent land acquisition to expect that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them with the law in place.
