Anambra Residents can obtain building permit in one day - Barr. Maduekwe

By Chidiebele Obika
Barr Chike Maduekwe (CEO Anambra Physical Planning Board)
Barr Chike Maduekwe (CEO Anambra Physical Planning Board)

The chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra State Physical Planning Board, Barr. Chike Maduekwe, has revealed that developers in the state can apply and obtain building approvals from the Board in one day.

He noted that before he took office about two years ago, it took about 300 days to complete all processes leading to issuance of Building Permit, but it can now be obtained in less that twenty-four hours if all required documents are presented.

Barrister Maduekwe pointed out the requisite documents to include: complete copies of building plans as signed by COREN registered engineer(s) and Architects Council, ANSSID number, land particulars, relevant information about the Site Manager undertaking the project , bank payment slips and others.

The ANSPPB boss revealed this last week Tuesday during Gov Obiano's Media Group programme - Meet the Media - which held at the Head of Service Conference Hall, Jerome Udorji Secretariat in Awka where he was a guest.

'We have digitised our systems. Before now, the Building Permit processes were about seven windows which made payment tideous to developers. While we still have the segments detailing what they ought to pay in our ledger, we have collapsed the payment process to one. It is now a one-off payment in banks.'

'Previously, it took about 300 days to complete the process but because of the digitisation policy of the Board, it now takes twenty-four hours provided that all needed documents are ready,' Maduekwe declared.

He appealed to individuals and developers to always seek for and obtain Building Permits before embarking on erecting structures, pointing out that it is against the law to build anything without approval.