Irked that property and land owners have evaded the payment of ground rent across the state for decades, the Delta State Government has declared war against people who fall into such category.
To this effect, the government has not only mapped out deft strategies to shore up its Internally Generated Revenue but concluded plans to inaugurate a task force for the implementation of the Land Use Act as it pertains to the collection of ground rent from property/plot owners across the oil rich state.
The decision to fully enforce the payment of ground rent was reached in Asaba, the state capital, at an enlarged meeting between the officials of the state’s Board of Internal Revenue and their counterparts in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s Commissioner for Lands, Patrick Ferife, flanked the Chairman of the board, Joel Onokwakpor, wondered why government has not been maximizing the opportunity created by law for the collection of ground rent to boost its revenue profile.
Ferife explained that the Land Use Act vested all lands within the territory of the state on the state governor for management, adding that each property/plot owner was required by law to pay rent to the governor.
While Ferife said the focus for the time being would be on the mega cities of Asaba, Warri, Sapele, Effurun, Ughelli and others in their category, he spelt out the rates for both commercial and residential plots/property.
He said: “We have plots designated for residential and those for commercial.
“For instance in Asaba, commercial plots are calculated as N100 per metre whereas it is N50 per metre for residential plot.”
The commissioner maintained that ground rent was not new but that property/plot owners have continued to default in their civic responsibility, insisting that the practice must stop as government was going all out to enforce the law to the letter.
He said: “Like I said, we are setting up a task force to move from house to house to collect the rent.
“One of the challenges we have been having is that those that pay ground rent are those whose properties are registered and you find out that a very high percentage of property owners have not registered their properties or plots.
“But we are going to change that with the establishment of this task force.
“So, whether you register your property with the ministry or not, we are coming to you with the demand notice.”
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