Ambode signs 11,034 land titles in two years

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State says 11, 034 land titles have been signed and issued in the state between 2015 and 2017.

Ambode made the disclosure in Ikeja on Thursday while commissioning the upgraded and redesigned Land Registry of the state.

He said that the land titles include 4,602 Certificates of Occupancy, 6,118 governor’s consent and 314 Deemed Grant Consent.

Ambode said that massive reforms had been put in place to reposition land administration for efficiency and to enhance the ease of doing business in the state.

He said that when his administration came on board, one of the major challenges hampering the ease of doing business was the bottleneck in land administration.

The governor said that immediate steps were, however, taken to reform the sector.

He described the new Land Registry as another major step toward the ideal situation in land administration and management.

Ambode said the essence of the reforms were basically to unleash private enterprise, as land was a very vital asset with which the people could access capital and thereby increase economic activities.

“This new registry is equipped with a Thomson Reuters suite of technology modules designed to conduct rapid inventory of actual/existing land rights.

“It will also 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 titles and remove 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,” he said.

Ambode said that in addition to the new registry, the concept of the Land Administration Campus had been introduced by bringing all agencies and Ministries involved in Land Administration to one location.

He said the development would 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 is 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,” he said.

Ambode expressed optimism that with the new arrangement, including the deployment of the new Integrated Land Administration and Automation System and the Geographical Information System, the government would make the process of securing land title seamless.

He said it would also engender the highest level of security and integrity of title document.

Ambode pledged to continue to fine-tune the processes of land administration to meet changing times and yield positive dividends for the people.

He also 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,” Ambode said.

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 toward revolutionising land administration in the state.

Onabule commended the governor for his vision and passion for optimal efficiency of the sector.