GOMBE – The Gombe Geographic Information Systems (GOGIS), says it has generated over N7.5 billion land-related revenue in the last six years.
Its Director-General, Dr Kabiru Usman, said this on Thursday during the inauguration of the State-wide Land Title Recertification, and GOGIS Field Office at Shehu Abubakar District, Gombe.
He said the state witnessed one of the most ambitious land administration reforms in Nigeria since inception of the agency six years ago.
Usman said the agency had digitalised over 45,000 land records and more than 52 layouts within the period under review.
“We have regularised about 18,000 customary titles, introduced a business certificate of occupancy and generated over N7.5 billion in land related revenue.
“We have also resolved most standing land disputes and deployed modern geospatial technology to support planning and development,” he said.
Usman commended Gov. Inuwa Yahaya for his support to the agency to carry out its responsibility of effective land administration and management to the level of becoming a model to other states.
On the inaugurated facility, Usman said the field office was strategically positioned to bring government services closer to the people, and create a permanent land administration hub for residents, developers and investors.
Inaugurating the office, Yahaya said the state government would soon embark on land recertification to ensure effective digital documentation to improve ease of doing business.
He said the move to digitalise land title documentation that could be tendered as collateral by business communities to secure loans would help attract more investments to the state.
The governor said the measure would also curb land related fraud, eliminate document forgery, and prevent multiple land sales.
“This administration will embark on a comprehensive land recertification exercise very soon.
“It is very key that we recertify so that we can all go digital and the certificates be more valid and user-friendly in order to serve as collateral security for businesses and for ownership to be deeply entrenched and confirmed,” he said.
Yahaya said that GOGIS’ model of land administration and urban development was being studied and emulated by other states, including Taraba, Zamfara, Kano, Plateau, among others.
He highlighted that urban planning and digitalisation of property records through GOGIS has strengthened the protection of property rights and ensured that every land owner could assert his or her claim with confidence.
“It has boosted our internal revenue by making land transactions transparent and accountable, thereby eliminating the leakages that previously characterised the system.
“It has also mitigated the risk involved by land regulators, the duplication of title allocations and other practices that were defrauding innocent citizens and discouraging private investments,” he said. (NAN)
