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Key Insights from the Inauguration of the Lagos Land Administration Portal
The launching of a new land administration portal called e-GIS by the Lagos State government on Friday is a major development in a state where land is regarded as an equivalent of the oil in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
Lagos is the only city in Nigeria where land commands so much value that in its prime locations such as Banana Island, Old Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki, land prices are denominated in Dollars upto the equivalent of a billion naira and above for a standard plot of land measuring 1000 square metres.
This high value is driven by high demand and scarcity of prime land in the state. For its large size population estimated at 22 million, Lagos sits on just 3,577 square kilometers which is about 0.4 percent of Nigeria’s total land area.
Land transaction and administration in Lagos is not only long and tortuous, but also costly, corruption-ridden and risky, thereby making investment and ease of doing business in the state a nightmare.
These and more are some of the challenges the new land administration portal has come to address. At the launch of the portal in the Land Office, Alausa, Ikeja, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu pointed out a few things the portal seeks to achieve.
1.Improve ease of doing business
The launch of the portal, according to the governor, is part of measures to boost or improve ease of doing business in the state. Lagos has always ranked low in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index. Ease of registering property and obtaining construction permit are major suspects in the state’s low ranking status.
2.Fast land registration process
The portal eliminates all forms of manual registration, reduces physical presence of applicants at Lands Bureau offices, allows residents to register their lands from the comfort of their homes, pay all necessary fees online, obtain their title document, and apply for a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) among other registration processes.
3.Reduce corruption in the process
A major cause of delays in registering property in Lagos is the human inter-face which breeds corruption. But with the new portal which is an automated process, land transaction has been transited to digital format, integrating them into the state’s registry and significantly reducing and saving cost; meaning that the era of hiding files or missing files is gone.
“Everything will be digitally available. Moreover, introduction of this process will foster collaboration among agencies. I think that’s also an important deliverable,” the governor said, adding, “it provides a secure shopping cart experience, self service options, easy online record and data search,” the governor assured.
4.Self-help land transaction process
The portal is designed to enable land buyers to analyze sites traffic and to know the trend through traffic, through the tracking of reports at the back end. It can actually do an audit of them and know how well an additional customer can enjoy a unique, exceptional service. It offers opportunity to track application progress, provide comments and receive immediate feedback on complaints.
5.Aimed to drive smart city vision
The new technology-driven system aligns with the state’s smart city vision, promote accountability, engender transparency and improve quality of service delivery to the citizens. “We want to, therefore, implore everyone to key into this new system and experience a seamless, secure and efficient process in land administration from anywhere in the world,” Sanwo-Olu said.
6.Security of titles and operations
The portal has an in-built robust internal business process workflow system called the Automation Land Administration solution, according to Olajide Babatunde, the Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development.
Babatunde assured that the state is committed to the security and needs of the projected large volume of applicants who will be using the portal for individual or corporate purposes. “The launch of the land administration portal is expected to drive investment into Lagos state, and also to improve on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index,” he said.
The Lagos State Government has said it would soon arrange a meeting with developers/owners of distressed buildings on how best to address the redesign and remodelling of such structures by November.
This was disclosed recently by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Oluyinka Olumide, at a function in Alahusa, Lagos.
Olumide said the prevalence of distressed buildings in different parts of the state was worrisome and needed the urgent attention of all stakeholders.
He said, “The Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development as mandated by the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law, 2019, as amended, was willing to extend its responsibility for approving the remodelling of existing buildings to provide technical assistance to developers and owners of distressed buildings, especially on the design and remodelling of such buildings.
The Federal Government has instructed the contractors responsible for the 107km Enugu-Onitsha road dualization to expedite the project.
This directive was given by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, during a meeting with MTN, the Enugu State Government, and the contractors, RCC Ltd and Nigercat Ltd, on Friday.
According to a statement released on Friday, the minister said he is disappointed over the slow pace of work on the project, he said, “Let me express my disappointment over the slow pace of work on that project. It is one of the worst roads in this country.
“Everywhere we have diversion; diverting from the one that RCC and Nigercat had completed, the contractors are not kind enough to even put stone based on the diversion points.”
He added, “So, by the reason of the launching of our Operation Free our Roads, it is now a violation of the policy on the side of the controllers and directors of the Federal Ministry of Works where we have vehicles falling on any project that is ongoing or where there are potholes on our roads.”
He also blamed the sufferings of road users on the lack of commitment and insensitivity of the contractors.
“The public must know that the President’s intention is not for them to suffer while trying to fix the roads, and it is their right to insist that contractors should fix the roads that they are engaged on,” he said.
The Minister commended the Enugu state government for their resolve to fund the construction of a 20 KM section of the road and expressed hope that MTN would execute the second phase of the project.
He noted, “Why the Enugu State government is intervening is because of the slow pace of work by the contractors and because of funding issues. The essence of tax credit is for funds to be made available. And so, I don’t see RCC going to keep their promise to finish this project in 6 months.
“My advice to MTN is to look for another contractor within that axis if they want to get the job done. Division of labour is even the best. While they are doing the road, and if Nigercat is doing a good job, you can give them greater scope to do if you want to finish that job.”
He warned contractors that the Federal Government would not accept phased handovers of projects and has phased out Variation of Price in contract administration.
The Ekiti State government has intervened to resolve a longstanding land dispute between the Elepe of Epe-Ekiti, Oba Ayodele Adesoye, and the Atolagbe family. The government cautioned against the misuse of modernization as an excuse to disregard traditional customs.
In line with the community’s traditions, the government has ordered the release of resources, including palm trees at Oko Oba Farmland, to Oba Adesoye for his administration. This decision ensures the continued adherence to age-old practices.
Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, announced the resolution in Ado-Ekiti. The decision was made after considering the Elepe’s claim to Oko Oba Farmland based on historical evidence.
Mrs. Afuye acknowledged the Elepe’s right to be the custodian of Oko Oba Farmland, citing longstanding traditions that support his claim. The decision reflects the importance of respecting historical practices and ensuring their preservation.
The deputy governor, however, told the monarch in clear terms that other princes and princesses from all the three ruling houses should be allowed to farm on the land without payment of royalty.
Mrs Afuye appealed to the community to comply with the government’s position to restore unity, peace and orderliness to the beleaguered community.
Oba Adesoye expressed gratitude for the government’s decision and pledged to foster peace and unity between the throne and the community, aiming to accelerate Epe’s development.
Representing the Atolagbe family, Dr. Yemi Agbeleoba acknowledged their willingness to cede Oko Oba Farmland to the monarch. However, he emphasized the need for all three ruling houses to participate for a lasting and traditional solution.
Agbeleoba expressed appreciation for the government’s directive, believing it will contribute to resolving the long-standing conflict.
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