That claim however has been without a careful and well thought out plan as to how to reinvigorate and re-position the state's economy to meet the challenges of the time.
Imo State is a typical case in this regard. The state always tout the mantra "Attracting Foreign Investors" without a corresponding action to boost businesses. Take a look at few examples.
1. Do you know that till date, Imo State Government have no single service that is connected to an e-payment portal where people can pay and access services from any part of the world using the internet and other online credit card payment options? Till date if you have to do any business with Imo State Government, you have to withdraw cash before you can pay into their designated accounts.
2. Do you know that it takes more than two years to process and obtain a Certificate of Occupancy in Imo State? It is even made worse by the fact that since Mr Uche Nwosu left as Commissioner for Lands, the Governor has not given the present Commissioner powers to sign Certificates of Occupancy. The result is that applications processed are being piled up waiting for the day the Governor would deem necessary to sign them. Yet we say we are looking for investors.
3. Do you know it costs over N600,000 to apply and process a C of O for a private land in Imo State?
4. Do you know it costs over N400,000 to register an average land in Owerri no matter the size? The reason is that state government fixed the Capital Gains Tax with no area being less than N120,000 and when you add N120,000 and N50,000 thousand being charged as Charting and Inspection Fee, the average Civil Servant who labours to get a plot of land even as far as Mbieri, would need to pay over his salary per anum just for registration. It must be noted also that the N120,000 charged as Charting and Inspection Fee was introduce during the Ohakim regime and in the tenure of Professor Nnamdi Obiaraeri as Commissioner and inherited by the Rochas administration.
5. Do you know that despite the N120,000 charged by Imo State Ministry of Lands as Charting and Inspection Fee, they dont go to inspect anything? All they do is to check the coordinates of the Survey Plan to know if the land falls into Government Reserved Areas, yet they charge a whopping N120,000.
6. Do you know that if someone flew from Imo State to buy a property hoping to fly back in four days time, he would need to pay N20,000 for any Official Search on any title he is prospecting. That means if 7 property documents were brought to you to chose from before you make up your mind on which one to buy, you have to pay N20,000 for Search on each of them. Remember it is the Search that would determine or convince you whether to buy or not.
7. Do you know that the application for Search Report goes to the Commissioner for Lands Imo State, who then minutes to the Permanent Secretary, who then minutes to the Director of Deeds who then approves you go and pay. Before you now submit application to Deeds Department who then commences their Search.
8. Do you know It takes an average 5 working day before you can get this Search Report. That is if the Commissioner is around and endorses it on time.
9. Do you know that it takes N50,000 for you to apply to Ministry of Lands Imo State to place a Caveat on your property so that fraudsters cannot tamper with it. And you must pay another N50,000 to lift it?
The effect of the charges on Land Revenue processes in Imo State is that it makes more than 70% of Imolites not to register their land or seek a C of O. The processes are not certain, they are cumbersome, labyrinthine and too exorbitant.
Take the Search Report for instance. Reducing the fee to N5,000 or N7,000 would encourage more people to do more search than to get N20,000 from only a few. Registration Fee should not exceed N30,000. The Charting and Inspection Fee if necessary should not exceed N20,000 or be scrapped.
Finally, a serious government must put men on a standard desk to ensure C of O applications are processed and completed withing a specified time which ought not to exceed 6 months. If the CAC can reduce the period of registration of companies and make it certain period, there is no way we cannot improve from what we have now. Our C of O application processes are run in a mediocre form that cannot convince a non-Imolite that our state is serious to boost businesses.
What is your view? Lets talk.
BY KISSINGER IKOKU (ESQ)
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