The Jigawa State government has warned local government council chairmen and traditional leaders against the illegal allocation of land.
Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports and Culture Sagir Musa Ahmad disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Umar Namadi on Monday.
He said the aim is to uphold the integrity of forest and grazing reserves for future generations.
According to him, “the State Committee on the Retrieval of Illegally Allocated Lands, under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, briefed the council on steps taken to curb the unfortunate situation of illegal allocation of land across the state.
“The committee has issued letters of admonition to all 27 local government area councils and the Secretaries of the five emirate councils (Hadejia, Kazaure, Gumel, Ringim, and Dutse) to convey government’s seriousness and commitment to punish anyone involved in the illegal allocation of land.”
He said the state government also solicited the emirate councils’ support towards reinforcing compliance across relevant institutions in preserving the sanctity of forest and grazing reserves as critical public resources.
The SSG emphasised that the letter clearly stated that only the state governor is empowered by law to allocate land or forest reserves for any purpose, therefore, anybody caught will be punished accordingly.
