Yahaya bars Gombe LG chairmen from issuing land titles

The Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, has barred local government chairmen from issuing land titles in urban areas designated by the state.

The decision follows a new executive order promulgated in the state, which aims to expand the state’s urban zone.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the Executive Chairman, Gombe State Urban Planning and Development Authority (GOSUPDA), Samanja Bappayo Maudo, said the order designates areas within 20 kilometres of the Gombe local government headquarters and 15 kilometres of Kwami and Yamaltu-Deba local governments as urban areas.

He said only the state government has the authority to allocate or use land within these designated areas, adding that the local government chairmen can only issue rights of occupancy with approval from the state government.

“No local government chairman or anybody is allowed to allocate or to take over or to say this particular land belongs to this particular local government,” he warned.

On his part, the Director General of Gombe State Geographic Information System (GOGIS), Kabiru Usman Hassan, said the policy is meant to expand the state’s urban areas and extend development projects to them.

He said the development would enable the government to execute projects without hitches, an improvement from what was obtainable when the land was allocated indiscriminately.