Ogun State Government has sensitised professional bodies and other stakeholders on the digitisation of land documents and allied matters as part of efforts to technologically revolutionise the civil service operations further in that sector.
Special Adviser and Director-General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Arch. Segun Fowora, while speaking during the programme, at Olusegun Osoba Press Centre, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, said the Bureau was riding on the success of Ogun Land Administration Management System (OLARMS) which was first used to process two thousand Property Registration Programme (PRP) cases and had issued over fifteen thousand Certificates of Occupancy.
The DG, represented by the Special Adviser on Lands, Princess Oyindamola Oyelese, further explained that, Government was ready to roll out full digitisation of land title documentation for more transparency and efficiency, all with the aim of making life better for its citizens.
He called on professional bodies for their support to key into the programme and also encourage their clients to use the platform, engage feedback mechanism so as to improve the system.
“The reason we are here today is because, we are riding on the back of the previous system that has been very successful. Those of you that have actually used OLARMS can acknowledge that it has given us lots of good reputation. It was tested and we are now in a position to roll it out. The system is now available to take any of your land applications and processes, as we have cut out a lot of bureaucracy,” he said.
In his remarks, Special Adviser, Bureau of Information Technology, Mr. Dayo Abiodun, said that the old manual system was not the most efficient in providing services to the public, noting that, the digitisation process had come to stay as documentation is no longer delayed.
On his part, the Surveyor-General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Surv. Oladele Ewulo, stressed the importance of technology as the driving force in use in most operations, as humanity is moving towards Artificial Intelligence, saying that, OLARMS would take the State there, where a client can sit down at the comfort of his or her home and process documents.
Contributing, consultant to the Governor on Lands, Mr. Fatai Adeboyejo, said the innovation was a plus for the Government, calling on the stakeholders involved to propagate the new mode of operations for land administration in the State.
Earlier in his welcome address, Director of Land Services at the Bureau, Esv. Adewale Adedeji, appreciated the participants, while he revealed that land allocation, ratification, private land documentation, Governor’s consent and everything associated with land title document would now move through the digitalisation process.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, a retired Permanent Secretary, Esv Iskeel Aboaba and State Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Surveyors, Surv. Abiodun Liadi, appreciated the State Government and Bureau of Lands and Survey, for the progress so far recorded in land administration.
Professional bodies in attendance were: Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Nigerian Institute of Surveyors, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Nigerian Institution of Quantity Surveyors, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners and Nigeria Society of Engineers.
