Estate Surveyors and Valuers in the country have stressed the need for land owners to obtain titles for their lands, saying that doing so, will give value to the lands and build confidence. They also urged Governors to remove bottlenecks that hinder easy processing of land titles so that land owners could get their lands titled.
They made the call at a One-Day Business Forum on the theme,”The Economics of Land and National Development” organized by Ubosi Eleh and Co( Estate Surveyors and Valuers) on Thursday in Enugu.
Pix: Stakeholers
Speaking at the event, the Guest Speaker, Emeka Eleh, urged various states Government to smoothen the process of obtaining land titles, ,reduce the cost, remove the bottlenecks, smoothen the consent provision, and make it not to be punitive . He said when people have the titles to their lands, the value will appreciate and the owners will make more money if they sold the land and the government will generate more revenue through taxation.
According to him , states will also get more revenues from tbe titled lands . Eleh urged Nigerian Governors to borrow Rwanda’s template and go from local government to local government and register the lands there That he said, has multiplier effect .
Pix: Participants
Eleh said it is by doing that , that Land owners can use their lands to make money, convert their lands to capitals
He said most land owners do not know the importance of having titles for their lands. He wondered why people would buy vehicles and register them and would not register their lands.”No matter where the land is, you should have a title.. It enhances wealth creation ,” he said.
The Guest Speaker noted that securing land titles will reduce poverty, quarrels, land grabbing, , flourish agriculture, improve taxation and national development. He called for a good land policy that will create employment, increase housing development, increase Gross Domestic Product ( GDP).
Pix: Emeka Eleh
For us to increase our GDP, , we must ensure that people own land and have title to their lands.”. He commended Enugu state Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah for his good works and appealed to the state government to bring down the cost of getting titles.
Pix: Chidi Ubochi Eleh
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In his speech, the Governor of Enugu state, Dr. Peter Mbah reiterated the commitment of the state government in providing affordable houses for the people .
Represented by the Commissioner for Housing Development, Martin Chukwunwike, Governor Mbah land in Enugu state as “our oil’. He said the state Government was ready to partner with those who have developed at heart.
He encouraged land owners to register their lands and apply for issuance of Certificate of Occupancy (Cof O), sayong that the state Government issues Certificate of Occupancy in 72 hours.
He assured that the suggestions made at the forum would be implemented and correct what should be corrected
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Principal manager,Ubosi Eleh and Co, Chidi Ubochi Eleh , said the Business Forum was part of their contribution to the national discourse on how land can be used for national development.
He commended Enugu state Governor,Peter Mbah’ for the massive development in the state
There was question and answer section in which participants called for reduction of cost of processing survey plans and reforms in land titling . They faulted high amount fixed as tenancy rates, saying that no one knew how the bills were generated,
Author: Maureen Ikpeama