The Akwa Ibom and Ondo State governments have agreed to the use of information technology to manage their land resources for greater transparency and revenue maximisation.
Already, officials of the Ondo State government have visited Akwa Ibom, “to learn and replicate in Ondo the things that are working in Akwa Ibom” with regard to the management of land resources.
The delegation from Ondo included the commissioner for Infrastructure Lands and Housing, R. O. Aminu; director-general, Bureau of Public Procurement, Tolu Fadaunsi; permanent secretary, Land and Housing, Alex Alake; permanent secretary, Infrastructure, Allen Idowu, and surveyor-general, Abiodun Adigun.
They were received in Akwa Ibom by the commissioner for Lands and Water Resources, Iniobong Ekong who took them on a tour of the AkwaGIS facility.
AkwaGIS is a modern digital platform developed by the Akwa Ibom State Government that captures all land resources in the state. It is a platform where people can apply for certificates of occupancy, register power of attorneys, search for land, caveat and transfer titles.
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During a presentation, the project consultant, Frank Ekpenyong, who said the project has met World Bank’s standard, also explained that “all land would be captured on the system and their exact location with the owner details to eradicate issues of land theft.
According to him, people can now conduct searches to determine if the land they are interested in belongs to the government, and even determine the real owner of such land,” among others.
Speaking on behalf of the Ondo State government, Idowu expressed confidence in the AkwaGIS project and the possibilities it has to offer, adding that the Ondo State government’s next step would be the replication of the project.
“I am wowed that even banks can use this platform to verify the address claimed by any customer,” Idowu said. He hoped that the relationship with the Ondo State government will continue as they have unconditional access to work together for the benefit of the people.
“For Nigeria to develop, we have to exchange technological ideas, move to cultural social, and financial relationships to solve our issues,” he added.
