Zamfara Governor, Bello Mohammed, has revoked all land titles in the State.
He has also directed property owners to go to the State Geographic Information System, ZAGIS, for the recertification of their respective titles with the new policy of granting electronic certificates.
The Governor in a statement by his Director-General, Public Enlightenment, Media and Communication, Yusuf Idris, says the issuance of the Electronic Certificates of Occupancy will henceforth be done only by ZAGIS.
Also Read: Zamfara State Govt shuts down 4 markets over security threats
The Governor explained that his administration decided on the e-C of O, following the corrupt practices and shady deals, that characterised the manual issuance of C of O, in which, unsuspecting property owners have been cheated by some fraudulent officers, handling the process.
It said that land, being the most valuable resource, needs to be carefully guarded, against abuse and misuse.
The statement notes that under the new system, all e-C of O would be issued strictly based on the extent of land-use regulations.
The Governor added that land certification initialisation, embraced by his administration, is part of his government’s efforts, to create a new technology-driven economy.
Governor Mohammed further said, all problems associated with land transactions, will be resolved, with the use of modern technology, as the recertification of all land titles, will assist in the current fight against banditry, and sundry crimes.
He also stated that owners of all land titles would now have their records available in a secured database and that the new e-C of O would also make it easier for financial institutions to check the authenticity of certificates, for those who choose to use them as collateral for bank loans.
It urged fresh applicants for all types of land titles, to do so through ZAGIS, which is the only government agency, saddled with the responsibility of processing all land titles.
He assured those who want to recertify their titles and prospective title holders, that the Zamfara State e-C of O is of the highest quality, as it is produced by the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company, bearing all security features, that would make the production of its counterfeit impossible.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
