Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday said a total of 4,602 Certificates of Occupancy (CofO), as well as 6,118 Governor’s Consent and 314 Deemed Grant Consent totaling 11, 034 land titles have been signed and issued in the State in the last two years.
Governor Ambode, who disclosed this while inaugurating the upgraded and redesigned Land Registry of the State, said deliberate massive reforms have been put in place by his administration in the sector to reposition land administration for efficiency and enhance the ease of doing business.
He said when his administration came on board, one of the major challenges hampering the ease of doing business was the bottleneck in land administration, and that immediate steps were taken to reform the sector, especially through the deployment of cutting-edge technology to drive efficiency in the Land Registry, Administration and Management System.
While describing the new Land Registry as another major step towards the ideal situation in land administration and management, Governor Ambode said the essence of the reforms were basically to unleash private enterprise as land is a very vital asset with which the people could access capital and thereby increase economic activities, adding that the initiative was also aimed at improving the ease of doing business in the State.
He said: “This new registry is equipped with a Thomson Reuters suite of technology modules designed to conduct rapid inventory of actual/existing land rights, automate and manage land records and ensure integration of geographic data/Survey. This solution also comes with online consummation of all levels of services rendered by the Lands Bureau.
“With this new registry, we will streamline the process of registering title and remove the bottlenecks previously associated with the process. The redesigned layout of the registry makes it more service friendly to all who have land transactions to process.
“In addition to the new registry, we have introduced the concept of the “Land Administration Campus” by bringing all agencies and Ministries involved in Land Administration to one location to further ease the process of land registration and titling. With this, the Office of the State Surveyor General will move to this quadrangle and occupy the office of the Ministry of Environment.”
The idea, according to the Governor, was to create a One –Stop-Shop where the Office of the State Surveyor General, Ministry of Physical Planning & Urban Development and the Lands Bureau are located within the same complex, to fast-track processing of land titles.
Besides, Governor Ambode expressed optimism that with the new arrangement coupled with the deployment of the new Integrated Land Administration and Automation System and the Geographical Information System, the State Government would achieve a combined effect of making the process of securing land title seamless, and also engender the highest level of security and integrity of title document.
While pledging to continue to finetune the processes of land administration to meet changing times and yield positive dividends for the people, Governor Ambode vowed that his administration was determined to stamp out the issue of land grabbing from the State once and for all.
“I want to use this opportunity to restate the commitment of our administration to stamp out land grabbing. We will arrest and prosecute any identified land grabber. We assure all our investors of the safety of their property and urge you to take advantage of our Task Force on Land Grabbing if you encounter any challenges.
“Our government is deliberate and strategic; our policy thrust is built on a tripod of security, infrastructure and job creation. We are working constantly to provide security for our residents and investors. We have invested massively on infrastructure especially road infrastructure to open up new areas, increase the value of land and give our people access to their property.
“With the land administration reforms, entrepreneurs and individuals will now be able to register their titles faster and have access to capital. This will in turn create opportunities for jobs and also wealth creation,” Governor Ambode said.
He added that Lagos is open for business and that there was no better time to be in Lagos than now, thereby urging investors and residents to take advantage of the reforms his administration was putting in place to create prosperity for all.
Earlier, in her opening remarks, Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Mrs Yetunde Onabule said the completion of the new land Registry was a significant milestone towards revolutionizing land administration in the State, and commended Governor Ambode for his vision and passion for optimal efficiency of the sector.