Imo Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development presents Mid-Term Score Card

Let me quickly start by congratulating Imolites on successfully crossing over to the New Year of the Lord, 2022. May we also use this solemn occasion to pray for those that couldn't make it to the New Year and also the sick among us. In all things, our holy book teaches us to be thankful to God that makes all things possible in the first place.

I have just resumed back at the Ministry of Housing after almost seven months since His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma, in his wisdom tinkered with his cabinet precisely on last year March, 2021. That cabinet reshuffle afforded me and other APC state EXCO members the opportunity to get back to work at the State Party secretariat where as the State party secretary, my wealth of experience in party administration was deployed leading to the successful APC Congresses and Party structures we have today.

With that one done and dusted, His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma reappointed me to the Ministry of Housing during the last cabinet reconstitution where again, he has charged me to do a restart at the Ministry and take it to new heights.

What this entails is to midwife the dispensation of new housing estates and many mass housing programmes that were put on hold due to covid19 pandemic and its aftershocks. The Ministry of Housing will, starting from this January to hit the ground running as it tries to cover for lost grounds due to the pandemic season.

Let me quickly say that it was not all bad news for the Ministry during the pandemic season as many projects were executed by government and others are still ongoing namely: Pentagon House renovation, Douglas Governor's Lodge, renovation of State Secretariat Complex, Governor's Lodge Abuja, Dee Sam Mbakwe Exco Chambers, Ndubuisi Kanu Exco Chamber, etcetera.

There are also renovations going on at the Ahiajoku Cultural Centre, the State House of Assembly Complex, and even Dee Sam Mbakwe House at Avutu which needs urgent and deserving attention. The Commissioner of police in the state also got a new residence after the old residence at Port-Harcourt Road got badly dilapidated.

There are also ongoing efforts to relocate the Correctional Services from its present Okigwe Road headquarters to newly constructed headquarters along Port-Harcourt Road after renovations, ditto for the State Police headquarter's Command which may soon move to a new base at same Port-Harcourt Road. We also started the effort to reconstruct the IICC convention center which has got part of the structure falling apart. The center will soon wear a new look

Needless to say that the Ministry of Housing since I became its commissioner in March 2020 has steadily acquired the toga of one of the busiest ministries under the 3R regime. The Ministry rose from existing on paper when I came, with only 17 rooms in a block of 100 rooms with only the Ministry of lands and Physical Planning taking a disproportionate share of 83 rooms. But today I've managed to raise its accommodation to 30 rooms and giving the Ministry a sense of belonging.

I have also during my stewardship repositioned the Ministry as a revenue generating agency of government by effectively repositioning the Project Implementation Unit, (PIU) that supervises the over 10,000 homes at the World Bank Estate Umuguma. I have started to strengthen that Unit to hold the residents of World Bank Estate accountable for various indebtedness to government and boost the IGR.

I also similarly repositioned the Imo Housing Corporation, one of the parastatals under my watch to be accountable to the state IGR. I'm still working on getting more reasonable results from the Imo Housing Corporation and believe we shall soon get to a position where the Corporation can be said to be well run as an autonomous government agency generating IGR and being able to pay staff salaries.

We have identified many government properties and assets under illegal occupation for which recoveries of same properties will soon commence. In similar vein, some developers that entered into joint venture with the Ministry to deliver estates who are still withholding government shares of profits returns from joint venture projects will soon be held to account for their indebtedness. Every estates developer in the state will be required to register with the Ministry of Housing for supervision and oversight.

In the present dispensation moving forward from this 2022, the Ministry shall place more emphasis on building estates and generating revenues for government. All revenue generating units in the Ministry will be under stricter control and be made more results oriented.

My dear fellow Imolites, I want to at this point plead for more support for His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma as he strives daily to bring good governance to our doorsteps. More especially as he battles insecurity to make the state investors friendly.

Moreso, he needs our support and loyalty arising from recent recoveries of illegally acquired assets and which were returned to original owners. Let us all not forget that these original owners are fellow Imo citizens that were hitherto dispossessed, humiliated and abused.

Finally, remember that this administration is a shared prosperity government poised to put smiles on the faces of Imolites. On our side at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development under my watch, affordable houses shall be made available for civil servants, low income earners, middle and high income class of citizens of our state.

Therefore, your support, advices, ideas, cooperation and most importantly your prayers are key to the realization of this all important developmental strides in our dear state. My doors are always open for fresh ideas and constructive criticisms.

Thank you for spending your time to read.

Lady Dr. Love Ineh

Commissioner, MHUD.

Share this post on:

Comments: