Zamfara State Governor Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, on Thursday, announced the revocation of all land titles in Zamfara state.
He directed property owners to go to the state’s Geographic Information System (ZAGIS) for recertification of their respective titles with the new policy of granting electronic Certificates.
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Matawalle made the announcement at the flag-off of the issuance of the Electronic Certificates of Occupancy which will henceforth be done only by ZAGIS, his spokesman Yusuf Idris Gusau said in a statement.
He said his administration decided on the e-C of O following the corrupt practices and shody deals that characterized the manual issuance of C of Os in which unsuspecting property owners were cheated by some fraudulent officers handling the process.
Matawalle said land, being the most valuable resource, needs to be carefully guarded against abuse and misuse, noting that under the new system, all e-C of Os to be issued would be strictly based on the extant land use regulations.
The governor added that land certification initialization embraced by his administration is part of his government’s efforts to create a new, technology-driven economy for the twenty-first century.
The governor 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 Os 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.”
The Shattiman Sakkwato then 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 titleholders that the Zamfara State’s e-C of Os 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.
He urged all landowners to come forward and certify their titles and also to pay their ground rents as and when due.
