Lagos State government has launched an electronic Geographic Information System (e-GIS) that provides digitised access to all data about the State Land before a purchase is facilitated.
The move has taken the state to the most advanced stage in land documentation and acquisition.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the launch of the one-stop digital platform that sanitises and revolutionises the process of acquiring, documenting and verifying land in Lagos said that the state has transitioned from the centuries-old manual paperwork into digital form.
Sanwo-Olu’ said that the innovation has eliminated the services of middlemen in the processing of land titles, thereby terminating the cost applicants hitherto paid to lawyers, surveyors and registration agents to get land titles.
“Anyone can now verify, search and apply for land titles, including Governor’s Consent, at Lagos State Land Bureau from the comfort of their homes at the click of a computer button.
Applicants can also request for a government survey on any State land and apply for Certified True Copy (CTC) on their landed property,” he said
The e-GIS portal introduced by the Sanwo-Olu administration came on the foundation of the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) bequeathed to the State by the administration of ex-Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now President of Nigeria, who started digitisation of land title documents in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu said the portal had transformed land allocation in the State while bringing precision to the economic value of land.
The Governor described land in Lagos as a “golden egg”, noting that the new technology-driven administration system had sanitised and enhanced transparent governance in land transactions in the State.
He said: “The launch of the e-GIS portal today gives me a great sense of joy because I had initially nurtured the fear that the project could be abandoned due to failed attempts to get it launched over the last 15 months. Today marks another milestone in our journey to make Lagos a 21st-century city where citizens can have access to land information and services from the comfort of their homes.
“This commitment underscores our dedication to creating an enabling environment for Lagosians and investors, eliminating bottlenecks that are associated with manually driven systems. The new technology-driven system which aligns with our Smart City vision will promote accountability, engender transparency and improve the quality of service delivery to our citizens.
“Before now, Lagosians used to experience a nightmare in getting their land titles and search data on land they wanted to purchase. The e-GIS platform will give our customers a delightful experience in services and turnaround time. This innovative and automated process has transited land transactions in the metropolis from manual paper form into a digital format, interpreting them into our Land Registry’s workflow.”
Sanwo-Olu said he was pleased that the innovation would reduce transaction turnaround time on land acquisition and resources committed to the search for data.
Streamline Data
Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, said the e-GIS office was set up by Sanwo-Olu to streamline data of MDAs and create a single database that would ease the troubles hitherto experienced by the public in the land administration system.
For further data integration, Olajide said the Governor also established 20 e-GIS units across MDAs which required automated spatial data in their daily operations.
“This system has enabled us to adopt a participatory approach to ensure that we provide, enable, adapt and sustain not only the buildings and infrastructure built for the portal but also protect public trust,” the Special Adviser said.
The new platform is expected to foster collaboration among the Government’s agencies in the land administration ecosystem, facilitating data integration among the Ministries of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Environment and Water Resources, Science and Technology, Transportation, and Works and Infrastructure.
By adopting Momentum Land Administration Solution software, Lagos joined the global league of cities using technology to create sustainable solutions
Dominica Nwabufo
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