Ogun opens portal for land acquisition, grants amnesty to encroachers

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, on Wednesday, announced a one-month moratorium for residents and entrepreneurs who have properties on portions of land already acquired by the State Government.

According to the governor, “Anyone or company that has built on government acquired land has up till November 30 to apply for ratification of their documents as the state has emplaced a trustworthy and accessible digital platform providing matchless quality in the administration of land products and services.”

Speaking during the launch of an online portal, Ogun State Land Administration and Revenue Management System (OLARMS) at the Tech Hub in Abeokuta, Governor Abiodun said: “OLARMS has its primary focus on areas such as titles ratification module for those that have built properties on government land that is under acquisition.

“These applicants can utilise the portal to perfect property titles and obtain their Certificate of Occupancy including those that have enrolled in the Home Owners Charter Programme.

Our ambition is that applicants should receive their title documents within 30 days of full payment,” he said.

The system, he added would provide benefits to commercial, industrial and residential developers, attributing the failure of the Home Owner Charter scheme of the previous administration to human factors and legal tussle, among others.

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According to him, the schemes available for sale on the OLARMS website from include Hill Crest Estate, Abeokuta and the President Muhammadu Buhari Estate, along Kobape Road, Abeokuta. Other schemes in other areas of the State will be added unto OLARMS in the nearest future for residential, commercial, and industrial land acquisition,” he said.

“Land is our own crude oil in Ogun State and we must manage our land resources to ensure the present and future prosperity of our State is assured as we also aim at harnessing the State’s landmass to further demonstrate the commitment of government to deepen the ease of doing business as well as provide the needed ambience for business to thrive in the state,” Abiodun noted.

According to the governor, “OLARMS will inform the ‘HOW, the ‘WHAT’, the ‘WHO’, the ‘WHEN’, the ‘WHERE’ and the revenue to government to ensure that government indeed gets what it deserves.

“We also aim to establish an ‘E’ registry which will dematerialise C of O’s and stimulate a secondary real estate equity. This is where C of O’s are no longer paper, they will be like your stocks and shares, it will allow for the birth of industries like credit Bureaus in Ogun State.”

While noting that the system would cover industrial, commercial and residential areas, the governor called on those who could not obtain their land titles under the Home Owner Charter to complete the process to benefit, while those in Diaspora could acquire land without hassles, using the land administration system.

He further explained that the portal (OLARMS) will create a digitised, automated and accessible platform that will provide quality, speed and integrity for all land related products and services in Ogun State.

“OLARMS will open up the opportunity to easily do business that relates to land, buying directly from the government will be stress-free and transparent without encumbrances as everything can now be processed online through our website: www. olarms.ogunstate.gov.ng,” Abiodun submitted.

In his address, the Chief Economic Adviser and Commissioner for Finance, Dapo Okubadejo, described the State’s Land Administration and Revenue Management System as a revolutionary and technological driven initiative aimed at leveraging on the huge potentials inherent from land with a view to enable the State gain maximally from it.

Okubadejo further said the portal will also offer the public who have encroached on the state government’s land in different parts of the state, an opportunity to get title documents for such land via the State Government’s Property Registration Programme (PRP), an amnesty programme available for only a defined period.

“PRP is being offered in phases starting with areas such as Ikereku-olokuta, Ijeun Lukosi, Laderin, Abule-oko, Agunreti, in Abeokuta South, and Obafemi Owode Local Government Area. Asese, Mowe, Orimerunmu, Makogi, Sefiu Sote, Olowotedo, Magboro Akeran, Ibafo, in Obafemi/Owode and Ifo Local Government Areas, Aiyetoro, Lukosi, Seidu, Ogijo, ilara, Aguntoye Villages, Shimawa, Emagbon, Konigbagbe, in Sagamu L.G.A and Ilaro, Township in Yewa South L.G.A,” Okubadejo added.

In his goodwill message, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, TPL Tunji Odunlami, represented by the Permanent Secretary, TPL Yetunde Dina, noted that the System was another giant stride of the present administration as it would provide avenue for proper land management.

Also, a Town Planner, Alao Sobanke, noted that for a property to have life, it must be registered so as to give security of tenure, have high value and easy to transact with.