The Nation Newspaper

Tag: C-of-O

  • Amosun: all successful applicants will get C of O

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has assured Homeowners’ Charter Programme applicants that they will collect their Certificates of Occupancy before the end of his administration.

    Amosun spoke during the 35th edition of the distribution of Certificates of Occupancy and Building Plan Approval to beneficiaries, at the Arcade Ground, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

    Amosun, represented by Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure,  Olamilekan Adegbite, said the process was being fast-tracked by issuing land title documents to 2,000 beneficiaries monthly.

    ‘’One of the Mission to Rebuild Ogun State came with the message of validating the residency of every person that has property in Ogun and we are consistently doing that, by putting smiles on the faces of thousands of people on monthly basis and we will continue to do that until every applicant that met the requirements collect his or her C of O’’, he said.

    The commissioner who was represented by the Director, Administration and Supplies, Nofiu Adebiyi, enjoined those yet to pay for assessment to do so.

    In his remarks, Director, Planning Research and Statistic, Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning (MUPP), Bola Ajayi, congratulated beneficiaries, asking them to support the administration.

    Speaking for beneficiaries, Mrs. Omowunmi Showole, from Ibafo in Obafemi Owode Local Government, thanked the government for making residents happy.

  • More beneficiaries get C of O in Ogun

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun will distribute certificates of occupancy and other title documents to another batch of beneficiaries under the Homeowners’ Charter Programme.

    Director-General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Biyi Ismail said the beneficiaries would collect their documents from Friday, May 18, about 9 am, at the Arcade Ground, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

    He urged contacted beneficiaries to bring valid identification and photocopies of same.

    They are expected to be at the venue at 8 am for accreditation.

     

  • Amosun explains delay on issuance of c of o

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has identified lack of proper documentation and incomplete payment by applicants under the Homeowners’ Charter Programme as factors responsible for the delay in issuance of Certificates of Occupancy.

    Amosun spoke during the 29th edition of presentation of Certificates of Occupancy and Building Plan Approval to another batch of beneficiaries at the Arcade Ground, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

    In a statement by the Press Officer in the Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Passover Adeshina,the governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, explained that though government allowed payment by instalment, some applicants who had taken advantage of the opportunity have not done the needful by completing their payment and other documentation.

    “The question asked by some applicants is why the delay in the issuance of C of O. But we found out that they have not done the needful. Some are yet to make full payment, though this government allows payment by instalment. Others have not completed their documentation under the scheme. Let me assure you that all applicants that meet the requirements will collect their C of O before the end of our tenure”, Amosun said.

    He said proper documentation would assist government in fast tracking the process of issuing land title documents and free the owners from land grabbers, forging or cloning their documents.

    The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning, Bola Ajayi, said the programme would also help to provide enumeration data for medium town planning for the provision of schools, hospitals and other essential services to the people.

     

  • Wike gives C of O to Academy

    Wike gives C of O to Academy

    Rivers State Governor          Nyesom Wike has given a certificate of occupancy (CofO) to the promoters of Charkin Maritime Academy (CMA), Port Harcourt, in fulfilment of his promise.

    To encourage investment in the oil and gas rich state, Wike had during the formal unveiling of the first ever land ship in the country, MV Rivers Pride, last year, approved a Cof O for the land where the land ship is situated at Ozuoba, on the East-West Road, Port Harcourt. The land ship was built by CMA, an indigenous and privately-owned maritime training institution.

    Apparently pleased with the strides made by the academy, Wike said the Rivers State government would do everything to assist the maritime training institution to grow to an enviable height for the benefits of the indigenes of the state in particular and Nigerians in general.

    He lauded the management of the academy for the achievements recorded since it was established.

    CMA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sir Charles K. Wami, who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen in Lagos said the C of O has been handed over to CMA.

    Wami lauded Wike for fulfilling his promise to the academy, pointing out that with the development, many investors will take the state government serious in its drive to encourage investors to invest in the state.

    According to him, the fulfillment of the governor’s promise to CMA will spur him and the academy’s management to do more in the years ahead. “To say the least, we are very pleased with this development. You are aware that it was during the unveiling of the first ever land ship in Nigeria that the governor made the promise. Today, we are happy that the governor has kept to his promise by giving us the certificate of occupancy. We are very grateful,”he said.

    He explained that the support of the state government would enable the training school attain set goals and objectives.

    He pointed out that the academy needs the encouragement of all stakeholders to continue to provide maritime education and training of international repute.

    “The school has a trend of rendering and improving on high quality training to guarantee competence in a conducive and friendly environment. It is a one-stop-shop for marine, oil and gas training”, he said.

    The land ship comprises full mission navigational bridge simulator; ECDIS Simulation Room; GMDSS (Navigation) Simulation Room which conforms to the 2010 Manila Amendments by the global maritime watchdog, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO); and the basic dynamic positioning class.

    Other components of the land ship are advance dynamic positioning and examination class; nautical institute examination room; and the drilling system crane simulator.

    The school has the approval of local and international regulatory agencies across the globe. These include NIMASA, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), OPITO, United Kingdom, and the International Well Control Forum (IWCF), United Kingdom.

    Others are the Nautical Institute (NI), Oil and Gas Training Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), International Association of Safety and Survival Training (IASST), United Kingdom, and the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigerian (PETAN).

    Besides the fact that it is a member of British Safety Council among others, it is also affiliated to the Regional Maritime University, Accra, Ghana.

     

     

  • Amosun to distribute C of O Thursday

    Amosun to distribute C of O Thursday

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun will distribute Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) and other land title documents to another batch of beneficiaries under the Homeowners’ Charter Programme.

    The Director-General of Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Biyi Ismail, spoke in his office in Abeokuta, the state capital.

    He said beneficiaries would collect their documents from November 23 at 9 am at the Oba’s Complex Auditorium of the Governor’s Office at Oke-Mosan in Abeokuta.

    Ismail urged contacted beneficiaries to attend the distribution ceremony with valid means of identification and photocopies of same.

    He advised them to be at the venue at 8 am for accreditation.

  • Amosun to distribute C of O November 13

    Amosun to distribute C of O November 13

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun will distribute Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) and other land title documents to another batch of beneficiaries under the Homeowners’ Charter Programme next Monday.

    The Director-General of the Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Biyi Ismail, said the beneficiaries would collect their documents as from November 13 at 9 a.m at the Oba’s Complex Auditorium in the Governor’s Office at Oke-Mosan in Abeokuta, the state capital.

    He urged contacted beneficiaries to come with valid identification papers and photocopies of same.

    The beneficiaries are expected to be at the venue by 8 a.m for accreditation.

  • Peterside, ex-commissioner berate Wike for revocation of hotel’s C of O

    Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Petetside, and a former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-George, have berated Governor Nyesom Wike, for Sunday’s revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of Novotel Hotel, Port Harcourt.

    Peterside, who described Wike’s action as the worse trait of fascism, however, said he had forewarned Rivers people and the international community.

    The NIMASA chief, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 election, yesterday in a statement by his media team, said: “In 2015, I warned Rivers people, the international and business community that Wike should not be trusted to protect their investments and stakes.”

    Tam-George, who recently resigned before Wike sacked his commissioners, also noted that if a business premises was suspected or established to be a crime scene, the police, acting on a court order, could move in to take control.

    The ex-Information commissioner said: “It is extraordinary for a state government to revoke the Certificate of Occupancy of a business, simply because opposition politicians lodged there.

    “Politicians in the state may think this is part of politics, but it is a hostile signal to the business and investment community that Rivers State is a turbulent environment, and that a 99-year land lease could be withdrawn erratically any minute, by the governor.”

    Wike announced the revocation of the C of O of Novotel hotel on Sunday, while speaking at the second session of the third synod of Anglican Diocese of Evo in Rivers State, claiming that the facility has become the centre of electoral fraud and malpractice.

    The NIMASA chief said: “Wike had sworn to uphold the Constitution without fear or favour, ill-will or malice against any citizen. It is now left to Wike and his conscience to check whether he has been faithful to his oath.

    “The revocation order is nothing but a reckless, irresponsible and draconian act that could have only come from the desk of a fascist, despot and a dictator.

    “When I heard that Wike revoked the C of O of Novotel Hotel, I thought it was a joke, until I saw a statement to that effect. In his trademark style of governance, he denied the management of Novotel Hotel any opportunity to respond to any accusation. Wike alone was the accuser, prosecutor, witness and jury in this matter.

    “It is sad that at a time when Rivers State needs every investment it can muster to create jobs for youths, arrest insecurity and stabilise social relationships, Wike is busy closing established multinationals, global chains and respected franchise to which Novotel Hotel belongs. In his maladministration, Wike blames everybody, but himself, for the woes that have befallen Rivers State since he shot into the Office of the Governor.

    “It is part of a government’s fundamental and social duty to create a conducive economic baseline for companies and firms to operate and expand their businesses, while new ones are attracted. Serious governments offer free land, tax rebate and other incentives to woo investors. But for Wike, his is to create joblessness and stifle companies struggling to break even.

    “In this singular action, Wike must have pushed not less than 500 people into the labour market. The social and economic reactions would be dire on families, state and country. He has also raised an adverse business advisory to would-be investors, that Rivers State is not safe for investment.”

    “By the singular act, he (Wike) advertised his contempt for hard work and industry. He twitched his nose against commerce. As a man who has no calculation of state interest in mind, he has added with his own hands to the pool of the unemployed in the state. It is frightful omen of unemployment in the context of the rise of criminality, violence, gangsterism and cultism under his watch as the chief steward of River State.”

    Peterside, a former member of the House of Representatives, also expressed concern that the Rivers governor had formed the habit of going to churches to make pronouncements that had been at best ridiculous and attempts to hoodwink Christians into believing some of his baseless allegations.

    He said: “I feel for him (Wike), because he will be disgraced out of power. Already, he is a shame in conduct, diction and association. Nobody can use the name of Christ in vain. God cannot be fooled and He cannot be mocked. The Church of Christ knows all political leaders and their antecedents.

    “Recently, he (Wike) said Rivers State is a Christian state, real enough. The Bible says, among my people are wicked men. All may be called to the Church of Christ in Rivers, but Wike is among those not chosen. ”

     

  • Ogun to give C of O to more housing beneficiaries

    Ogun to give C of O to more housing beneficiaries

    The Ogun State Government will be distributing Certificates of Occupancy and other land title documents to another batch of beneficiaries under the Homeowners’ Charter Programme conceived by the administration of Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

    The Director-General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Biyi Ismail, said that the beneficiaries would collect their documents as from tomorrow  by 9am at the Oba’s Complex auditorium, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

    He urged all contacted beneficiaries to come with valid means of identification and photocopies of same. They are expected to be at the venue by 8am for accreditation.

     

  • ‘Agents to blame for delay in processing C of O in Oyo’

    ‘Agents to blame for delay in processing C of O in Oyo’

    Against the backdrop of complaints by land owners, surveyors, estate valuers and related professionals in the processing of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) in Oyo State, the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ajiboye Omodewu, in this interview with BISI OLADELE, revealed the applicants’ mistakes that cause delays in the process, among other issues. Excerpts

    There are complaints from land owners in Oyo State over an alleged cumbersome procedure in obtaining Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). Why is this so?

    That was then. Things have improved now. In 2011, during the first term of Governor Abiola Ajimobi, he held series of meetings to address the problem you just referred to. He set up a committee where it was agreed that issuance of the C of O to applicants should not exceed 60 days. We also discovered that most of the problems associated with the issue are caused by the applicants themselves. Many people think that once you put in your application, there shouldn’t be any follow-up, which is not right. There is also the issue of survey. Most people patronise unlicensed surveyors. So, when they bring the application with the survey, the Department of Survey would discover that there is no any record copy which people know as red copy. That means it is not authentic. So, once they put in the application, they don’t follow up and they don’t have the correct survey, which hinders the processing of the C of O.

    Why would they need to follow up? Do people have to be coming to ensure that their applications are given attention?

    You don’t need to be coming to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development every day. But once you put in your application, at least you need to know what is going on and see if there is any problem concerning the application. For instance, our people may want to get in touch with you. If your phone number or address is not right, it won’t be possible. Also, most of our people present fake tax papers. You must have evidence of tax payment, at least, in the last three years. If you don’t have that, we won’t process your papers. Another issue is that of physical inspection. We have to go and inspect your land, your property. Without proper inspection, we can’t continue with the processing of the C of O.

    Oyo State is very large. Does this ministry have enough staff to carry out inspections on the high number of applications you receive for C of O? 

    Definitely, we do. We have the land officers that go to the sites to see the land and ensure that there is no mix-up in the issuance of the C of O. Our inspectors can go to three or four places in a day. So, they just go to the land, measure it to make sure that the one they are doing the processing for is the right land. We still have officers at the zones that can go there with them. For instance, the zone’s officers know every nook and cranny of their area. It is not only members of staff of the Ministry of Lands alone. We have Zonal Officers in different areas. Therefore, physical inspection is not a problem. So, once there is no any problem with physical inspection, no wrong coordinates from the survey, no problem of tax, no problem of agent, then, you can be sure your C of O will be ready in record time. You can cut off the problem of land agents by coming to the Ministry of Lands to get proper information. We have a dedicated office that is in charge of that. From there, the applicant will be provided with the requirements, what the applicant needs and where to start from. But instead of coming to the Ministry of Lands, people go through agents. The agents just take their money and they don’t do anything and they will say the paper is progressing or we are waiting for the governor’s approval or we are waiting for the commissioner’s approval or the permanent secretary did not sign, which is not true. You don’t need any agent to do the C of O. Just walk into the Ministry of Lands. Either one goes to the office of the Permanent Secretary, or goes to the office of the Commissioner or the office of the Director or the Department of C of O.  Tell them this is what I want to do and they will guide you. Most of the problems come from the applicants, not from the ministry. Once there is no problem, I promise you that you can get your C of O within 60 days.

  • ‘How to ease process of acquiring C of O, others’

    •3,000 certificates awaiting collection in Lagos

    Stakeholders in the land and housing sector in Lagos State have applauded reforms put in place by the state government.

    At the quarterly interactive stakeholders’forum organised by the Lagos Lands Bureau in Alausa Secretariat, Lagos, the participants lauded the Permanent Secretary, Land Bureau, Mr. Bode Agoro, for the reforms.

    These reforms include the deployment of professionals to achieve optimum performance, minimising abuses, especially those relating to corrupt practices and red tape; reforming mode of payment, placement of templates for the conduct of business in the Bureau, and introduction of the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).

    Others include the reduction from  30  days to 21 days at the most, the processing of Governor’s Consent; digital mapping of the state to complement the effect of EDMS; reduction of payments on consent fees, capital gains tax, stamp duty and registration fees; and the establishment of the Directorate of Land Regularisation to eliminate the defective ratification procedure, among others.

    A participant, Mr. Olusola Ayeni, however noted that to make land registration easy, tax requirement should not be a prerequisite.

    He   said  not many land owners, especially those in rural areas, pay tax.

    “I believe that the government would make more money from land registration if tax is not part of the requirement. The issue of tax is a difficult thing all over the country, but if this is removed, people will be ready to come forward, knowing full well the benefits that accrue to a land with title document,”Ayeni explained.

    Another participant, Samson Alade, suggested that a letter of allocation and a certificate of occupancy (C of O) could be issued together. He said its adoption would erase the practice of issuing letters separately, and crash the processing fee.

    “I am of the view that the certificate of occupancy alone is enough to serve the needed purposes, instead of subjecting the people to double payment,” he said.

    But the stakeholders were unanimous that the Bureau should have field workers who will inspect land before registration, instead of the situation in which government officials wait at the Lands Bureau office for land owners.

    “Many people have a wrong notion about civil servants. They see them as being hard, extortionists, and overly officious with many negative impressions. More than that, people lack financial wherewithal to be coming repeatedly without successfully getting their transactions done, particularly those that are not residing in the metropolis. So, if officials can be visiting them and make the charges as low as possible, the government revenue will increase and people will have value for their property,”said Kayode Oyedele, another participant.

    Agoro assured that the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led government was determined to make life easy for the people.

    He said the government had introduced proactive policies on property perfection and registration to develop to make life easy for the people. These policies, he noted, led to some reviews, which has helped in preventing abuses in town planning and urban protection laws.

    The Permanent Secretary said in line with Governor Ambode’s commitment to prompt issuance of C of Os to property owners, more than 3, 000 of the document were already signed, waiting for collection by their owners. Fifty-six of the documents were collected at the forum.

    “Some documents that don’t qualify to be registered find their way for registration, creating a lot of hiccup in Land Bureau, thereby making it possible for illegal land acquisition by fraudulent persons. But with quality control department that has now been put in place, every application will now be filtered to determine their originality,” he added.

    Also, Land Regularisation Director, Mr. Taofeek Adenuga, said every survey must reflect the reality on site; hence the government would incorporate surveyors, town planners and others, to assess the status of land.

    “It’s time we are seeking cooperation and suggestion from all stakeholders, especially those of you who will need our services. We would want all of us to be on the same page so as to make land administration fast, cheap and less cumbersome,” Adenuga said.