The Nation Newspaper

Tag: C-of-O

  • HomeOwners’ Charter: Amosun distributes ninth batch of C of O

    HomeOwners’ Charter: Amosun distributes ninth batch of C of O

    The Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has distributed the ninth batch of Homeowner’s Charter Scheme Certificate of Occupancy to beneficiaries in Abeokuta, the state capital. He was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa.

    The Governor used the occasion to assure citizens that all programmes aimed at realising the re-building mission of his administration would be realised and all on-going projects would be completed and delivered as scheduled.

    He applauded all concerned agencies for ensuring the success of the programme, pointing out that critics, who had despised the initiative at inception, had seen its sincerity of purpose from the cooperation and number of C of O dispatched so far.

    He, therefore, appealed for support and understanding of the people in the face of dwindling economic challenges, promising that no stone would be left unturned at making the state self-sustaining.

    “We are working round the clock to increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) so that our state can be self-sustaining and reduce over-reliance on the federal allocation,” he said.

    In a similar vein, the Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Civil Service Commission, Mrs. Amope Chokor, said the Home-Owners’ Charter programme was designed by the state to enable property owners possess legal titles on their land. She said it would be a continuous process as it would help government to know the areas where there was serious infrastructural deficit.

    Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Motunrayo Ogundipe commended the state government for its sincerity, saying that many people, who doubted the government’s good intentions on the scheme at inception, have now seen that the Amosun government is sincere.

    It would be recalled that on December 16, 2013, the state government had initiated the Home Owners’ Charter Scheme aimed at making landlords obtain their Certificates of Occupancy at 78 per cent discount.

  • 2,500 C of Os ready for collection in Lagos State

    2,500 C of Os ready for collection in Lagos State

    Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode yesterday signed and approved the release of 2,500 Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to property owners.

    The Executive Secretary in the Lands Bureau, Mr. Olukayode Ogunnubi, said the development was in line with the governor’s effort to clear the backlog of C of O carried over from the last administration.

    He said: “A distinction must be made that this government wants Lagosians to maximise the economic benefits derivable from ownership of property as evidenced by obtaining their legal titles.

    “This is what we are trying to achieve and this is why the governor cleared the backlog. Now we do not have pending C of O on our table.”

    Ogunnubi said the action would enable property owners to leverage on the C of O as collateral to obtain loans from financial institutions for business activities.

    “This will also contribute to the growth of the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the development of the economy,” he added.

    The executive secretary said the governor intended to ensure that the process of applying and getting C of O was not only less cumbersome, but treated within the stipulated time.

    He said: “Once we have any new applicant for C of O, the governor’s mandate is to ensure that he signs it within the 90 days tenure. Once you make your payment, we start the processing. Let me also report that we are going on the Electronic C of O fully (E-C of O). The ones he signed are  E-C of O.

    “In a nutshell, the idea is to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks. This is what the governor intends to achieve in line with his commitment to make life simple and easy for the people.

    “This is a standard milestone, as the last time such was witnessed was during the era of the first civilian governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande.”

    Ogunnubi said the list of the 2,500 C of O’s would be published in the national newspapers from today.

  • Ogun ‘Batch 5’ homeowners get C-of-O

    The fifth batch of beneficiaries under the “Homeowners’ Charter”  of the Ogun State government has been presented with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), and other title documents. The scheme is an initiative of the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration which enables home owners  to regularise their legal status at a discount.

    Governor Amosun, represented by the Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, while presenting the documents to the beneficiaries at the Arcade Ground, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, expressed satisfaction with the interest so far shown in the scheme

    He congratulated the beneficiaries saying:“You are home owners now, because with your Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), you can now enjoy several facilities from the banks and other institution in the country,” Amosun said.

    The governor said with the scheme, “government can also plan effectively for infrastructural facilities once the actual number of houses is ascertained.”

    Speaking earlier, the Special Adviser/Director General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Adewale Oshinowo, said the presentation was a proof that the government was sincere with the programme and had proven “Doubting Thomas’s” wrong; added that all government promises on housing scheme will not go without being implemented.

    Oshinowo explained that the Homeowners’ Charter was part of the administration’s plan to improve and encourage the standard of living of the people in the state through innovative policies and ideas, urging the residents to always take advantage of any scheme being introduced by the state government for their own benefits.

    He said the success of the scheme was a result of the effective collaboration between the agencies and ministries involved, promising that the same zeal and commitment would be given to every application received, adding that those that have not received theirs should be patient with the agency, that in time they will be called upon to collect theirs.

  • Family seeks Fashola’s intervention over revoked C of O

    THE daughter of the former Chief Architect in Lagos State, Adesoye Simeon Osinuga has appealed to the state Governor Babatunde Fashola over the revocation of right of occupancy of her late father’s property in Omole Estate, Lagos.

    Osinuga during his life time worked with the Lagos State Government under the Mobolaji Johnson tenure as a Chief Architect in the state.

    In a letter dated May 30th, 2013, his daughter, Tobi Osinuga said although approval for his father’s plan to build a duplex was granted by the state government, ”however he (Osinuga) was ill for several years in which he suffered from emotional trauma after losing his life savings to fraudsters.”

    This, she further stated, resulted in her father routinely being in and out of hospital treatment for so long a period until he died in July 14, 2011.

    According to her, the letter notifying him of the revocation of the landed property was not received ”because he had not been to the address, located on 4, Little Road, Yaba for over 10 years before his death after which the notice of revocation was received by the family.”

    Although Tobi said the revocation was done in the public interest, however, appealed to the state governor to view her father’s case with compassion, having served the state meritoriously before his untimely demise.

    “Your Excellency, I hope you will find a place in your heart to grant our request. My father loved our country and was a pillar in the community. He received many accolades, including one from Governor Mobolaji Johnson who stated in a newspaper publication that my father was ‘the best architect’ of his time,” she stated.

  • ‘Abia landlords may lose C of O’

    Landlords in Abia State, who built houses against government’s plan, risk losing their Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), if the threat by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Renewal, Elder Godwin Nna, is carried out.

    Nna, in an interview in Aba, frowned at the indiscriminate manner landlords and contractors built houses outside government’s plan.

    He said such attitude contributed to defacing and distortion of the state’s master plan.

    The commissioner said government, through his ministry, would sanction people, who erected buildings without permission, especially those, who built on drainages and sanitary lanes.

    He said government would not fold its arms and watch individuals violate land laws, adding that efforts were being intensified to punish culprits.

    Said Nna: “When an individual violates a law, government has the right to deal with him.”

    “A house has been marked for demolition. The building is on 135, Cameroon Road, near Adazi in Aba.

    “The seven-storey building had a five-storey building plan approved for it. The foundation has collapsed, following the appendage.

    “Because the owner has incurred the wrath of the law by changing the purpose clause of the land, the house will be demolished.

    “People who change the purpose clause of their land will be punished. I am from this state and I do not care what anybody says. I must ensure the laws are obeyed.

    “Government will punish offenders regularly. Anybody found guilty will serve a jail term.”

     

  • On the Ogun Home-owners charter

    SIR: The era of demolition of properties and houses in Ogun State has become a thing of the past with the newly introduced “Homeowners’ Charter Initiative”.

    Under the programme, owners of eligible properties built without the required approvals or illegally built on land belonging to Ogun State will be given a window of opportunity to obtain Building Plan Approval, Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) or other title documents. All penalties and fines are being waived and the documentation requirements have been relaxed; fees are also discounted to enable as many residents as possible to benefit.

    The consequences of building without approval are extremely serious for the people affected as well as government and many homeowners are now regretting their decision; not only are the properties so constructed illegal but the uncontrolled development of properties create unplanned areas devoid of essential infrastructure such as  water, schools, health facilities and road services.

    Owners of such illegal property have now found themselves between the proverbial “devil and the deep blue sea”. They are unable to process ownership documents such as Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) since Building Plan Approval is a pre-requisite for such, the fines payable for building without approval make the process unaffordable for many who now wish to regularize. In addition, those who have built on government owned lands live with the uncertainty about government intentions and, therefore, have no means of regularizing their status.

    Without documentation, thousands of property owners are unable to prove legal ownership of their property, such property, no matter how valuable, cannot be offered as security for even the smallest loan. In terms of valuation in sale transactions, Ogun State property is relatively undervalued compared to similar property in neighbouring states. This is a direct consequence of the absence of documentation.  In addition, our courts are regularly inundated with cases relating to property disputes that would be avoided if standard documentation were widely available.

    Homeowners’ charter initiative in the state is an extremely generous offer of Ogun State government to enable homeowners in the state to regularize their properties status, and it is a once in a lifetime offer and it is strongly advised that homeowners in the state should take full advantage of the programme to be self assured of their properties in the future.

     

    •Ademola Orunbon

    Olomore, Abeokuta,

    Ogun State.