Ehimen Directs Developers In Ibusa, Okpanam To Conform To Approved Plan

BY AWELE OGBOGU

iv>The Permanent Secretary, Delta State Ministry of Urban Renewal, Mrs. Charity Ehimen, in continuation of her field tour aimed at development control across the state, has directed building developers, many of whom are into the construction of shopping plazas and other business premises to retrace their steps, having flouted the rules one way or the other, or face sanctions as stipulated in the laws of the state. It was observed that a number of the building contravention bordered on flagrant disregard to setting adequate setbacks, which are a minimum of one metre, not building according to approved building plan or absence of a building plan at the site. 

Ehimen gave the charge, yesterday, during 

a rigorous inspection of the properties which are at various stages of development both 

at Ibusa and Okpanam under the Ibusa Area Planning Office of the Ministry of Urban Renewal. As usual, there was a brief stop-over at the Ibusa Area Planning Office before the officers stormed the field to take on erring developers. Earlier on, the visiting officials from the ministry’s headquarters in Asaba, notably Deputy Director (Town Planning), TPL Charles Egba and Director (Urban Development), TPL Okore Godwin, Chief Town Planning Officer (CTO), TPL Darlington Okoh, among others who came from Asaba. They were received by Area Planning Officer (APO I), TPL Sylvester Eruvbedede, who in his address, appreciated the visit from headquarters, but asked for greater logistics support for more optimal performance, while informing that last year, 2022, the Ibusa Area Planning Office generated a staggering N42 million and from January to April 2023, has so far generated N10 million for the state, saying they are capable of performing even better in the future. Also present were Area Planning Officer (APO II), TPL Enodeh Doye, TPL Okolo Albert (APO III), Mrs. Andy Blessing, head of Admin, among others. 

In their various responses on behalf of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Renewal, Mrs. Charity Ehimen, by both TPL Charles Egba and TPL Godwin Okore, staff of the Area Planning Office, Ibusa were reminded of certain abnormalities in their operations, hence the need to see the visit as a wake up call. Egba said: “no policy plans has come from the Ibusa Area Planning Office since the last one month that I have been here. You have to come up with action plans that ensures that development control takes the proper shape. Avoid a situation where plans are being under-assessed, where you have commercial or industrial plans being deliberately assessed using residential rates.”

On his part, TPL Okore said that, “the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Charity Ehimen is doing a lot at the Ministry of Urban Renewal in line with the Okowa Administration’s vision which sees development planning as key to prosperity creation for all Deltans.” He added: “Mrs. Ehimen is also doing a lot in pushing publicity and enlightenment in Asaba and Warri, so as bring all Deltans, particularly development stakeholders up to speed with the ministry’s all-round activities. The P.S. is up to the task, while she insists on synergy among all staff of the ministry for 

higher productivity.”

While on the field, TPL Darlington Okoh was outstanding as he put developers to the task in over 10 sites visited in Ibusa and Okpanam in Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state, with notices served on them in line with the ministry’s mandate on development control.