The Mayor of Housing and Real Estate Success Strategist, My-ACE China, has been speaking on how to once again create investors confidence in the economy of Rivers State.
The Mayor of Housing spoke at a programme in Port Harcourt last week and said the recent economic summit revealed many things about the economy. He said the summit revealed strategies and aspects that can return the economy to the top in Nigeria.
He told newsmen that most important outside boosting tourism and entertainment to return attraction to the state is to bring land administration up to speed with Lagos and Abuja.
He said there is need to make investors acquire land within 60 days including obtaining certificate of occupancy.
The CEO said in Abuja, the system is digitized and automated, saying all land has been moved to the government and the individual owners known and registered. He said such can be done in Rivers State especially in undeveloped areas.
He said Abuja has the Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS) which has captured all lands in the automated map with details of owner, location, and other details such that the investor only has to meet the AGIS and pay and obtain the land papers. In Rivers State, there is the Rivers Geographical Information System (RivGIS) but which seems dead or not fully functional.
Should RivGIS be fully functional, he stated, there would have been investor confidence in the economy of the state from land transactions because it is the fundamental in doing business in any economy because of the criticality of accessing funds in banks.
He said: “There is need for such a system here in PH to create investment confidence here. We live in a world where anything you want to do has been done somewhere.
You are not inventing any wheel. You do not need to go far. Copy and paste what AGIS and FCDA are doing, simple. Know it that Rivers State has more real estate potential than Abuja.
On what investors want in Rivers State after the summit, the Mayor of Housing who participated effectively in the summit said: “What investors want is ease of land papers.
As an offshoot from the summit where investors expressed difficulty in getting land papers (certificates of occupancy), access to land, etc.
I am sure this governor will follow through. The summit itself is a success for the mere fact that it took place because that is the first one the state has had in 13 years. It shows that this governor means business. That is how the investors feel about the summit.
“Two: The continuity from the previous administration’s projects despite having issues with that administration, and he didn’t take out any of those projects because of malice of anything; that alone is a boost of confidence for the private sector.
“Third: Flag-off and actual start of construction of the 20,000 low-cost housing units under a PPP is also a confidence booster. Please, people should not underrate that project because there has been hardly any FG housing project above 2,000 in a particular locus.
The biggest FG housing project in Rivers State is the Trans-Amadi Garden which is not up to 1000. Agip Housing Estate is also a FG housing project and I am not sure it is over 2000. So, 20,000 is actually a new city. This is one of the reasons real estate investors are comfortable with the 20000 and in PPP.”
On advice to the governor, the CEO who is partnering with the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) to pluck what the Agency calls the low hanging fruits said: “My sincere advice to Gov Fubara is to increase the number and size of PPP schemes.
It is not only in projects but in planning. World class businesses often engage consultants to get them the information and finished reports to work with.
“I love beautiful houses, but when I see estates with houses but the community leaders squeeze the roads to such a narrow lane, my heart bleeds. People go there and build glorified shanties, and government officials approve them, approve the surveys, I weep. We should take advantage of virgin areas to do modern planning. Government can get that done through RivGis to develop a master plan. Let there be a system that stops the desecration of that masterplan.
“There are security softwares that can detect any infringement on any map. If you register a particular map on a digital system, any attempt to tamper with it will lead to alarm and arrest. Abuja has that system and that is why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) has an office there to arrest you right away if you come with fake papers to alter any land on the digital map.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation have helped to reduce human interference and corruption in most of these activities.”
He advised the governor to as a matter of fact sit down with group leaders especially captains of industry and technocrats and develop a white paper from the summit’s panel discussions. “The governor can ask, who do you know that can actually do this or that.
Just like the way the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) wanted to use Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to remove election irregularities, though it was abused. We can ask for who has the expertise to map Rivers State and plan it vis-à-vis the part that has not yet been developed.
Then, not only to have this in the system but have it in the public domain that everybody knows that this is the plan.”
The Mayor of Housing also pointed to how Rivers State can become the hub of building materials in Nigeria.
Mr China disclosed that the state government can develop an industrial park somewhere close to the waterways, and dedicate about 10-hectare area for an industrial park.
He said the Government can then create road to it, remove tax, give 24-hour power supply system through gas power since there is right to states to do power.
He went on; “Now, sell power half the price. People from China and other places will flood the hub because they know power is cheap there. They know they will not pay tax. Many steel industries are dead but the government has refused to privatise them.
Only few people are allowed in the cement sector. So, these cause huge rise in building materials and cost of housing. Rivers State can pursue this and become the hub for low-cost building material in Nigeria.”
