Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Wednesday,
signed into law, a bill to prohibit forceful and illegal occupation of landed
property by community Development in Edo.
The
governor, immediately presented a copy to the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty,
Oba Ewuare, the II, in his palace.
The naijaroyaltyculture.com
recalls that Oba Ewuare, it was, who initiated the move to scrap activities of
Community Development Association (CDA) in the state.
The Oba in
his coronation speech, decried the nefarious activities of the association,
which had affected land acquisition and development by citizens and investors
in the state.
Presenting
the copy of the new law to the Oba, Obaseki said the signing of the bill into
law was historic for his administration.
He said
the implementation of the law would make the state to become more investor
-friendly and would bring about speedy development of the state.
He said
“My administration believes that the way to sustainable development is to
unleash and nurture our productive energy and that of investors.
“Investment
will not thrive in a lawless environment, it is a thing of pride that we signed
this bill into law”, he said.
The
governor commended the Oba for his support in making the law a success.
He said
“our state has witnessed an aberration, our land tenure system before and
during the colonial era was rated as the best but it has been turned around by
some nefarious activities of CDAs.
“It was
therefore a thing of joy during your coronation that you will undertake the
task to pull down the. CDA structure” he said.
Obaseki
called for the support of the chief judge of the state and security
agencies towards the implementation of the law.
He said
that a task force chaired by a retired Inspector General of Police, Solomon
Arase, had been constituted to drive the enforcement of the law and supervise
all matters related to the it.
He noted
that the state government was not unaware that the law would displace many of
the youths that were involved in the CDAs activities, adding that government
was ready to empower them.
The
governor urged the public to be familiar with the provisions of the law, saying
that `ignorance of the law is no excuse.”
Welcoming
the governor and his entourage to the palace, Oba Ewuare said the new law
signified a major milestone in the present administration and that of the his
reign.
He
commended the governor and the Edo House of Assembly for their swiftness in the
passage of the bill into law.
He said
that the prompt consideration given to the bill showed that the governor
was ready to do a lot more for the state.
He said” I
want to say that today is historical and I am personally overwhelmed.
I was
really upset with the activities of CDA in the state.
I saw the
need to tackle the issue of CDA as their actions became destructive.
The
governor bought into the idea and decided to draft a bill to criminalize their
activities.
I want to
commend the governor for this step taken as many people expressed doubts about
his willingness to work with the palace but he has dispelled such fears”, he
said.
The Oba
also assured of rehabilitation and empowerment for the youths who were members
of the CDAs.
Earlier,
the speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Justin Okonoboh, presented the bill
to the governor for his assent at the government house.
Okonoboh
said the new law was not all about prohibiting CDA’s activities in the state
but also prohibited forceful entering into people’s landed property.
He said
“the CDA Law also protects widows’ rights to their husbands’ property”.
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