An Enugu-based business man, Chief Charles Ozoeze has accused officials of the Enugu State Ministry of Lands of swindling him of over N.5 million in an attempt to register an old property, a bungalow built about 70 years ago at Asata area of Enugu metropolis he bought from the original owner in 1992.
The angry Ozoeze claimed that the officials of the ministry have gradually “turned me into an ATM machine. They have siphoned too much money from me; they misused me; they extorted money from me. As of now, they told me the registration would cost around N300,000 but as of today, the money has exceeded N520,000.”
Ozoeze called upon the state Governor, Sullivan Chime to punish all those who use their positions to dupe unsuspecting people who go to the ministry of lands to transact official business. He also wants the governor to overhaul the entire system in the ministry. “There must be reform in the lands ministry; the Governor must overhaul and sanitize the place; it takes one person to make a change. If the same people continue to remain there, the bad and corrupt system will persist,” he said.
His lawyer, Chief B. O. Eneh in a protest letter entitled, “Complaint: Delay in Registration of Document,” addressed to the state Commissioner of Lands, Dr. Emeka Ujam, wrote that their client, Chief Ozoeze prepared the deed of assignment and took it to the ministry of
lands for registration and was asked to pay N225,000. Eneh stated that when the officials of the ministry later told Ozoeze that the deed had expired. He added that they (officials) listed other sums of payments for renewal of the lease which amounted to N107,000. He said that his client also paid the said amount to Access Bank, according to the items given to Ozoeze by the officials of the lands registry.
According to Eneh, after the official fees which were receipted, the ministry officials allegedly demanded from Ozoeze what the officials called “processing fees” that amounted to N115,000. Eneh said the ministry officials told his client that if he paid the amount, it
would accelerate action in registration process.
The legal practitioner said the registration of the document had lasted over eight months with his client going to the lands registry “times without number and each time, one reason or the other was given for the delay in the registration. At one time, our client’s file was said to be missing and some amount of money was paid before the file resurfaced.”
Eneh said the last straw that broke the camel’s back was that Ozoeze was told that “registration was no more possible until after the reconstruction of the secretariat and office complexes which is being pulled down, this is contrary to the promise made to him by the officials concerned, that if he gives them the processing fees which he did, they will accelerate the registration of document.
“This is the grievance of our client complaint. That he paid all the fees required for the renewal of the deed which had expired and also paid more for processing fees (which was not receipted) and yet the registration is being delayed,” Eneh stated.
He appealed to the commissioner to persuade the personnel in the ministry to register “our client’s document.”
Ozoeze called upon the state Governor, Sullivan Chime to punish all those who use their positions to dupe unsuspecting people who go to the ministry of lands to transact official business. He also wants the governor to overhaul the entire system in the ministry. “There must be reform in the lands ministry; the Governor must overhaul and sanitize the place; it takes one person to make a change. If the same people continue to remain there, the bad and corrupt system will persist,” he said.
His lawyer, Chief B. O. Eneh in a protest letter entitled, “Complaint: Delay in Registration of Document,” addressed to the state Commissioner of Lands, Dr. Emeka Ujam, wrote that their client, Chief Ozoeze prepared the deed of assignment and took it to the ministry of
lands for registration and was asked to pay N225,000. Eneh stated that when the officials of the ministry later told Ozoeze that the deed had expired. He added that they (officials) listed other sums of payments for renewal of the lease which amounted to N107,000. He said that his client also paid the said amount to Access Bank, according to the items given to Ozoeze by the officials of the lands registry.
According to Eneh, after the official fees which were receipted, the ministry officials allegedly demanded from Ozoeze what the officials called “processing fees” that amounted to N115,000. Eneh said the ministry officials told his client that if he paid the amount, it
would accelerate action in registration process.
The legal practitioner said the registration of the document had lasted over eight months with his client going to the lands registry “times without number and each time, one reason or the other was given for the delay in the registration. At one time, our client’s file was said to be missing and some amount of money was paid before the file resurfaced.”
Eneh said the last straw that broke the camel’s back was that Ozoeze was told that “registration was no more possible until after the reconstruction of the secretariat and office complexes which is being pulled down, this is contrary to the promise made to him by the officials concerned, that if he gives them the processing fees which he did, they will accelerate the registration of document.
“This is the grievance of our client complaint. That he paid all the fees required for the renewal of the deed which had expired and also paid more for processing fees (which was not receipted) and yet the registration is being delayed,” Eneh stated.
He appealed to the commissioner to persuade the personnel in the ministry to register “our client’s document.”
Narrating his ordeal in the ministry of lands, Chief Ozoeze, who wept openly inside the Enugu office of Daily Trust presenting documents alleged that, “When I returned from the U.S. about five years ago, I wanted to register the property. When the registration process was going on, they gave me a quote of about N200,000 to re-register the property, and I kept it since 2009. But this is 2013, and it (registration ) has not been done; and I have paid over N530,000; they are still demanding more money.”
Presently, Ozoeze said he is tired of the ‘rigmarole’ of the staff of the ministry of lands, hence he decided to send his wife to continue from where he was frustrated in the process of registering the property.
Recalling further his long, pathetic story he said, “I started registration first week of April 2012; then I paid for the registration of my deed sometime in May 2012; the amount was N225,000.
Recalling further his long, pathetic story he said, “I started registration first week of April 2012; then I paid for the registration of my deed sometime in May 2012; the amount was N225,000.
They also told me that my lease had expired, that I had to go to the lease department to renew the lease.
“ I went to the lease department, met the officials there who gave me a quote of N107,000 which I was asked to pay into Access Bank sometime in August last year. When I came in to do this registration, they told me that within the period of three weeks , I would get everything done; that was in first week of April last year.
Apparently frustrated by the alleged lack of transparency in the state ministry of lands, Ozoeze decided to send his wife to continue from where he stopped in the process of registering the property.
When Daily Trust contacted the state Commissioner for Lands, Dr. Emeka Ujam, he admitted the existence of a clique that operates in the ministry long before he came into office. “Actually, there is a cartel here that has been in operation long before I was appointed the commissioner for lands. But I am doing my best to punish any of the
staff of the ministry who does anything that tarnishes the image of the ministry or that of the government,” he explained. Dr. Ujam added, “I have sacked some directors in the ministry since I came into office.”
According to him, “When you have clothes that are dirty, you bring water to wash them, and you continue washing them until they are clean. So the process of sanitizing the ministry is on-going. Now our systems are computerised, the era of manually changing things is gone.” He further remarked, “We are not hiding dubious people here; we are cleaning the system.”
Ujam also advised people seeking for land allocation to always come to him rather than dealing with dubious elements in the ministry. He warned, “My office is open because I run an open door policy. If anybody is applying for land or is doing any transaction concerning
land allocation, such person should come right to see me in my office; you don’t go and start relating or dealing with people under that mango tree; if you do so, you are doing that at your own risk.”
Apparently frustrated by the alleged lack of transparency in the state ministry of lands, Ozoeze decided to send his wife to continue from where he stopped in the process of registering the property.
When Daily Trust contacted the state Commissioner for Lands, Dr. Emeka Ujam, he admitted the existence of a clique that operates in the ministry long before he came into office. “Actually, there is a cartel here that has been in operation long before I was appointed the commissioner for lands. But I am doing my best to punish any of the
staff of the ministry who does anything that tarnishes the image of the ministry or that of the government,” he explained. Dr. Ujam added, “I have sacked some directors in the ministry since I came into office.”
According to him, “When you have clothes that are dirty, you bring water to wash them, and you continue washing them until they are clean. So the process of sanitizing the ministry is on-going. Now our systems are computerised, the era of manually changing things is gone.” He further remarked, “We are not hiding dubious people here; we are cleaning the system.”
Ujam also advised people seeking for land allocation to always come to him rather than dealing with dubious elements in the ministry. He warned, “My office is open because I run an open door policy. If anybody is applying for land or is doing any transaction concerning
land allocation, such person should come right to see me in my office; you don’t go and start relating or dealing with people under that mango tree; if you do so, you are doing that at your own risk.”
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