The Minister of Town Planning, Housing and the City, Bénéwendé Sankara, in a circular dated February 9, suspended the processing of real estate development files. The Minister justifies the measure by ” drifts observed »In the practice of real estate development activity. The suspension of the processing of real estate development files aims, according to the Minister, to ” provide appropriate answers To these drifts. The Minister therefore recognizes that there are abuses. By this word we mean unforeseen and uncontrolled change in a situation. There were therefore deviations from the norm. And these slippages are due to a lack of control. Two shortcomings are to be noted. The first is attributable to real estate developers in the sense that the latter have given themselves the freedom to twist the texts. The other failure is the fact of the agents responsible for enforcing the texts. And these people, obviously, failed. Because their laxity has allowed real estate developers to walk on the texts. Their responsibility is therefore engaged. And under other skies they would answer for their actions in courts.
It’s crisp and clear. Officials from the Ministry of Urbanism, Housing and the City have shown laxity or even collusion with real estate developers. The minister is warned. As long as he really wants to bring ” suitable answers ”To the drifts, it must obligatorily shake the coconut tree in order to punish not only the dishonest real estate developers, but also to crack down on the agents of the ministry who failed in their duty of control. This is a categorical imperative. But the temporary suspension of the processing of real estate development files is not sufficient to clean up the environment.
If the state does it wrong, it runs the risk of being taken to court
It is absolutely necessary to review the texts which allow landowners to sell land to property developers. Under the Revolution, the law provided that land belonged to the state. And we can say without much risk of being mistaken that it is this policy that has enabled many Burkinabè to have land and that at a reasonable price. Except omission or oversight on our part, we could be awarded a plot for a sum of less than 100,000 F CFA. The Revolution certainly had shortcomings, but we have to admit that it allowed average and even poor citizens to own land. Things started to take a turn for the worse when the 1984 law was re-read to allow landowners to dispose of their ” heritage ” as they like. Since then, there has been a rush of real estate developers to land. And one can have the impression that it is a profession which nourishes its man.
In any case, many Burkinabè are in real estate development today. And at the beginning of the creation of this profession, some of them granted themselves hectares and hectares of land and that, for derisory sums. In return, they parceled out these lands and sold them for a high price. This way of making money is simply indecent. This is why we absolutely must act to put an end to these practices. But it must be recognized that Minister Sankara will find it difficult to clean up the environment.
And he runs the risk of ending up like Icarus, that is to say, burn his wings; so many connections, issues and interests that surround the field of real estate development, are great.
It is therefore right that the Burkinabè consider that the ministry of Me Bénéwendé Sankara is a hot potato that Roch Marc Christian Kaboré has given him. In any case, we wait to see what the Sankarist that he is, will do. Will he go in the direction of the interests of real estate developers at the risk of losing his soul? Or will he stand up for the interests of the greatest number at the risk of attracting on his person the reprisals of the magnates of real estate development? In any case, to resolve the thorny issue of land, it is in the interest of going beyond cosmetic measures.
Already, real estate developers can brandish against him the fact that their activity is legal. And it is not wrong. If therefore, the state does it wrong, it runs the risk of being taken to court. And since we are in a state of law, this can be costly for the country. There is also that hidden political forces could work to put spades in the minister’s wheels. And among these hidden political forces, some could belong to the majority like him. Finally, there is the fact that land management is an issue that involves the traditional chiefdom. It is certainly in order not to alienate this institution that Minister Sankara met with Mogho Naaba on February 12. In any case, all the evil that we wish him is that he can succeed in his mission and that in the well understood interest of the populations.
Sidzabda
–
