The Enugu State Government has unveiled sweeping reforms in the land sector, announcing the immediate abolition of illegal levies and a major reduction in land-related charges as part of Governor Peter Mbah’s broader economic transformation agenda.
The reforms were announced on Thursday at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting on land sector development held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, Governor Mbah said ground rent, land use charge, and all property-related fees have now been harmonised into a single Unified Land Use Charge, reduced by over 60 per cent.
“Property owners will now pay only one Unified Land Use Charge annually through the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service, whether their properties are within estates or outside them,” Onyia said.
He described the new policy as a bold step toward creating a transparent, efficient, and investor-friendly land administration system.
“Land is the legal foundation for housing, infrastructure, agriculture, commerce, and investment. Since its inception, this administration has pursued deliberate reforms to modernise land governance, reduce uncertainty, curb abuse, and restore public confidence in the land tenure system,” he stated.
A major highlight of the reforms is the immediate ban on the controversial Ogbonecheagu fees reportedly collected by some communities and local governments.
“The Governor has declared all such fees illegal and directed their outright abolition. A task force has been constituted to enforce compliance, and anyone compelled to pay illegal charges should send evidence to [email protected],” Onyia said.
According to the SSG, the reforms were informed by recommendations of a multi-stakeholder committee set up to tackle multiple taxation and revenue leakages in the land sector.
The Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Chimaobi Okorie said Governor Mbah has introduced key policy and legal frameworks to strengthen land administration.
“An executive order has declared nine of our seventeen local government areas as urban areas to enable proper planning and structured infrastructural development,” Okorie said.
He added that the Enugu State Geographic Information System law has been enacted to serve as a one-stop digital platform for land transactions.
“With ENGIS, land records are now fully harmonised. There are no missing files, and every plot of land in Enugu State can be digitally tracked,” he noted.
Managing Director of ENGIS, Mr Chiwetalu Nwatu, announced that building approvals in government-owned estates must now be obtained directly from the Ministry of Housing or the Housing Development Corporation.
“Building approvals for non-government estates within the Enugu municipal area will be handled exclusively by the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority,” he said.
He added that Certificates of Occupancy will now be processed directly for individual property owners in both private and government estates, “to strengthen title security and improve asset bankability.”
Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service, Mr Emmanuel Ekene Nnamani, said the newly signed Tax Law was designed to protect low-income earners.
“The law places a greater tax burden on the wealthy, while ordinary citizens are shielded,” he said, urging residents to obtain their Tax Identification Numbers free of charge.
The town hall brought together government officials, traditional rulers, estate developers, surveyors, town planners, lawyers, civil society groups, and community representatives, who welcomed the reforms as a major step toward sanitising the state’s land administration system.
