A group, Concerned Enugu Professionals, has carpeted the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees for its position on the resignation of the Enugu State Commissioner for Lands, Dr. Victor Nnam.
Nnam had in a letter to the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, tendered his resignation, stating reasons.
Among others, he said his vision to reposition Land administration system in Enugu was resisted as his proposal for GIS among others were kept in the cooler and then some key staff under him were moved for reasons not justifiable.
However, NULGE accused the former Commissioner of not being truthful with the reasons adduced.
The union accused him of giving its land and that of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Enugu branch to a real estate developer, Hymac Real LTD.
But the Concerned Enugu Professionals in a statement by its President, Mike Ugwu said the position of the NULGE was faulty.
It said in the statement on Saturday: “The attention of Concerned Enugu Professionals has been drawn to a fictitious publication by some faceless land grabbers hiding under the names: NULGE and NSE Enugu Branch, in an effort to distort the fact in a case before the High Court of Enugu State between them and Hymac Real Ltd.
“The said fake news claimed that the immediate past Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Enugu State, resigned his appointment to avoid sack over his sale of a land belong to NULGE and that the heads of departments of the ministry of lands and Urban Development were simply posted away from the ministry in a routine exercise.
“These cannot be further from the truth. We the Concerned Enugu Professionals are fully aware of the followings:
“1. That the former commissioner is not under any investigation by the Enugu state House of Assembly.
“2. That the Plot P/23C independence Layout is the subject of suit No. E/658 in the High Court of Enugu State and has never been a subject of any investigation by the Enugu State House of Assembly.
“3. That some professional Land grabbers are hiding under the names of NULGE AND NSE in collaboration with some highly place individuals to illegally takeover Plot P/23C belonging to Hymac Real ltd.
“4. That the said plot of Land is currently registered in the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, Enugu State in the Name of Hymac Real Ltd vide STATUTORY CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY registered as no. 55/55/220.
“5. That Hymac Real Ltd has approach the court of competent jurisdiction for which the land grabbers are now standing trials.
“6. That those unionized land grabbers hiding under the name of NULGE And NSE, used their highly placed benefactors in government to put pressure on the heads of departments in the ministry of Land to doctor the record and allow the land grabbers to smuggle in forged documents with which they are laying claims to the land but they refused.
“7. That the heads of departments were removed and sent to the office of Head of Service as a punishment for refusing to buy into the fraud.
“8. That those heads of departments have been replaced by cronies willing to aid the forgery and fraud.
“9. That the former commissioner equally resigned his appointment citing that his conscience will not allow him to continue to serve the administration while those innocent senior civil servants are punished for simply doing the right thing.
“10. That Hymac Real Ltd was duly issued Statutory Certificate of Occupancy and has been in possession of the land until those unionized land grabbers working for highly place individuals in Government came to disturb its peaceful possession.
“We are equally aware that the Hymac Real ltd has petitioned Inspector General of Police and following Police investigative inquiry, the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development has replied the Police, stating that the Land in question belongs to Hymac Real Ltd. A copy of Certified True Copy of the reply from the ministry is herein attached.
“The right thing to do in a matter of dispute is to approach the court but because those unionized fraudsters have no titles in the land, and have nothing to approach the court with, they have resorted to intimidation of innocent civil servants and trying to tarnish the image of the former commissioner who dared to resist them. Let us all be aware that he that has nobody has God. We the Concerned Enugu Professionals hereby appeal to the parties to allow the court to exercise undisturbed jurisdiction over this matter and decease from peddling fake news and resorting to extra-judicial approach as the matter is already before a court of competent jurisdiction. This is democracy and we must all allow for the rule of law and not the rule of might.”