The General Manager, Abia State Estates Development Agency (ABSEDA), Sir Okechukwu Ndukwe has successfully presented and defended the agencies 2020 budget estimate of N230,206,446.40 before the State Budget committee led by the Chairman/Permanent Secretary, Abia State Planning Commission, Mrs. Nnenna Chikezie.
Sir Ndukwe, who led the management team of ABSEDA to the Budget Committee disclosed that the ABSEDA is statutorily empowered with relevant laws to acquire land from donor communities, opening of the acquired sites, as well as surveying and allocating plots of land in the various estates to Abia residents. This has helped in providing affordable accommodation to the citizens and also expanding the cities of Abia state, he said.
At the moment ABSEDA has established the following functional estates in the state, World Bank Housing Estate, Aba and Umuahia; Umudike Housing Estate, Umuobia, Agbama, Amakama, Ossah and Amuzukwu Housing Estates. Others which have reached advance level of development are Umuderevo Old Umuahia, Okpururie Afara, Emede, Ohiya Amaudara, Nsukwe Ubakala, Amaibo Ubakala, Owere-Aba, Omumauzo Osisioma and Ikputu Isiala-Ngwa North among others.
The GM said that in the past two years under his leadership, he has reduced drastically the avalanche of court cases through the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), as well as replaced so many unrealized plots for hitherto very agonized beneficiaries, most of whom had completed payment of statutory fees but were unable to be allocated plots prior to the coming of his administration.
He further disclosed that he has prioritized staff welfare packages through regular payment of salaries as and when due and have equally continued to engaged in the training and retraining of staff to acquaint them with the civil service rules.
Also is the reactivation of the revenue team which is poised to pursue revenue drive based on the statutory revenue windows accruable to the Agency from the old and existing estates.
The General Manager has also broken the 27-year jinx of tenancy status of the Agency by building a befitting new office complex housing the Agency. It is now awaiting to be commissioned soon. Sir Ndukwe attributed these successes to the support the agency is receiving from the Governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, as contained in a press release signed by the Public Relations Officer, Ikenna Onyeije.