Obinwanne establishes Land Committee to control land purchase crisis.

The Obinwanne Umuaka Autonomous Community has come up with yet another wonderful milestone in her bid to control the social excesses in the community with a major focus on land purchase and sales.

Umuaka Times local affairs correspondents gathered that the Obinwanne Land Committee has been in existence for some years now and the body is doing well in controlling the crisis arising from land sales and purchases in the community and beyond as they may concern her citizens.

Headed by the Traditional Prime Minister of the community, Chief Celestine Agu (Ekwe Mbiriba Umuaka), the duty of the committee is to get involved in land matters involving the indigenes of the community who want to sell or buy land. The role of the committee is to investigate any land the indigenes want to either sale or buy and ascertain the authentic status of the property before purchase is established.

Umuaka Times gathered that the committee has so far with some little obstacles, recorded several achievements and has continued to record more.

A foreign businessman who does business in Afor Umuaka told Umuaka Times under the condition of anonymity that Obinwanne town has indeed taken the lead in social developments in Umuaka EbeIri. “I am thrilled by the achievements Obinwanne Umuaka Autonomous Community has continued to record. This is what you get when you put the right leadership in action and every other thing will naturally fall in place.”

The businessman recommended the Obinwanne land solution to other towns in Umuaka so as to reduce the crisis that arise from land matters.

Further findings by Umuaka Times show that disputes arising from multiple parties claiming ownership of the same land have always been a bone of contention in land matters in some parts of Igboland if not all. There is also an issue of fake Certificates of Occupancy (C of O): Forged documents used to deceive buyers. These documents can be verified through official channels in the state capital.

Another problem is the role of fake land agents and other impersonators who use forged credentials to deceive buyers to make payments for properties that are not theirs. This problem often leads to unclear boundary disputes and violence at last. From all indications, Obinwanne Umuaka Autonomous Community may have come out of the several land crises the community faces during land purchase businesses. According to the businessman who spoke with Umuaka Times, there is a need for other communities in Umuaka to establish such bodies.