The Enugu State Government has announced sweeping reforms in the land sector, including the immediate abolition of illegal levies and a major reduction in land-related charges, as part of Governor Peter Mbah’s economic transformation agenda.
Under the new policy, ground rent, land use charge, and all property-related payments have been unified and reduced by over 60 per cent. Property owners will now pay a single Unified Land Use Charge annually through the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), regardless of whether their properties are located within estates or outside them.
Governor Peter Mbah made the announcement at a stakeholders’ townhall meeting on land sector development held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, on Thursday.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the Governor said the reforms are aimed at building a transparent, efficient, and investor-friendly land administration system anchored on legality, digitisation, and accountability.
He described land as the foundation for housing, infrastructure, agriculture, commerce, and investment, stressing that the administration has pursued deliberate policies to modernise land governance, curb abuse, reduce uncertainty, and restore public confidence in land administration.
“These reforms are anchored on transparency, predictability, digitisation of records, and strict adherence to statutory processes for land allocation, registration, and development control,” Onyia said.
A major highlight of the reforms is the immediate ban on the controversial Ogbonecheagu fees collected by some communities and local governments. The SSG said Governor Mbah has declared such charges illegal and ordered their total abolition following widespread complaints from residents.
A task force has been constituted to enforce compliance, while affected residents have been urged to submit evidence of illegal collections to Whistleblowing@enugustate.gov.ng for swift government intervention.
The SSG added that the reforms were informed by recommendations of a multi-stakeholder Committee on Land-Related Revenue and Administration set up to address multiple taxation and revenue abuse.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Barr. Chimaobi Okorie, said the Governor has introduced key legal instruments, including an executive order declaring nine of Enugu’s seventeen local government areas as urban centres to enable proper planning and infrastructure development.
He disclosed that the Enugu State Geographic Information System (ENGIS) law has been enacted to digitise all land processes, harmonise land records, eliminate missing files, and ensure every plot of land in the state can be digitally tracked.
According to him, applications for Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) can now be processed online or at designated offices, while the Property Protection Law signed by the Governor guarantees security of legitimate ownership and investor assets.
The Managing Director of ENGIS, Mr. Chiwetalu Nwatu, announced that all buildings in government-owned housing estates must now obtain approval directly from the Ministry of Housing or the Housing Development Corporation, while approvals for non-government estates within Enugu municipal area will be handled by the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA).
He also said Certificates of Occupancy for all buildings in both private and government estates will now be issued directly to individual property owners, strengthening title security and asset bankability.
Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ES-IRS), Mr. Emmanuel Ekene Nnamani, said the newly signed Tax Law places a greater burden on high-income earners while protecting low-income residents.
He urged residents to obtain their Tax Identification Numbers free of charge and comply with tax obligations to support accurate development planning.
The townhall meeting attracted stakeholders across government agencies, communities, professional bodies, traditional institutions, developers, financial institutions, civil society groups, and the general public.
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