The Kogi State Bureau of Lands Development has commenced a statewide property enumeration to enable individuals, organisations, communities, and foreign investors to identify and take ownership of their properties under a rancour-free process.
The Permanent Secretary of the Bureau, Baiyegusi Taiwo, speaking on behalf of the Director General of the bureau, Alhaji Abdulmalik Teina, made this known while addressing newsmen on the sidelines of the commencement of the new policy in Lokoja on Monday.
“Property enumeration is geared towards creating an accurate database that will enable the government to plan for the socio-economic and security development of the state”, he noted.
Teina said Governor Usman Ododo’s administration had demonstrated a genuine commitment to making the entire state an epicentre of economic and commercial activity as well as an investment haven.
“The property enumeration exercise aims to develop a databank with accurate information about the existing lands and other properties in the state”, he said.
Teina advised citizens to cooperate with officers by providing information about their properties, emphasising that the exercise was not intended for witch-hunt but to facilitate the state’s planning and development.
Teina also urged residents not to pay money to the enumerators deployed for the exercise, insisting that the process is free of charge.
He highlighted several other benefits of the exercise, including ease of business transactions, enhanced security services, attracting investment, wealth creation, encouraging foreign and local investors, and reducing land disputes between individuals.
“When actualised, it will make Kogi State a destination for local, national, and international investment. Land disputes—whether between individuals, communities, or organisations—will be significantly reduced with this new initiative”, Teina stated.
