Bayelsa State Government says the issuance of Certificate of Occupancy, C of O, will go a long way in resolving land disputes as well as engender wealth creation for land owners with the establishment of the Bayelsa Geographical Information System, (BGIS).
Governor Seriake Dickson gave the indication while signing some C of Os at the monthly transparency briefing to mark his mid-term anniversary in office.
According to the Governor, as part of activities to celebrate the second year of the Restoration Government, he decided to put in place a mechanism for the verification of land titles to enable the people become major players in the economy as landed property would become marketable.
“I also signed in your presence, certificates of occupancy pursuant to the law that we proposed to the Bayelsa State House of Assembly with the promulgation of the Bayelsa Geographical Information System Law.
“Among the factors of production, land is probably the foundation of all development. If we free up most of the titles we have and give verifiable and reliable certification of those titles, that by itself is empowerment because we would have made it possible for persons to trade with their titles.”
He noted that, one of the challenges that had bedeviled the State was the classification of wealth in view of the absence of reliable certification to land, stressing the need for Government to take pragmatic steps to create wealth and a sustainable economy as land was the foundation of all development. That is one of the reasons why we are not as involved as we ought to be in our local economy.
“That is why you cannot have small and medium scale businessmen and women because you cannot transact with your titles; meanwhile if you go to our communities, or even in Yenagoa almost everybody has land but they can not trade with it since there is no proof of ownership.”
Consequently, Governor Dickson said investment teams have been directed to work out the details with which he would interact with financial institutions to streamline the empowerment programme Government intends to run.
He also urged the teams to liaise with its counterparts at the federal level with the aim of keying into the recently launched Federal Government’s mortgage re-finance initiative as well as look into the possibility of establishing a mortgage institution in the State.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Mr Furoebi Akene highlighted some of the features of the new C of O which he noted, is electronically produced and the issuance of the C of O from the date of application, if all the requirements are met, is within 2 weeks.
Daniel Iworiso-Markson
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State
16/02/2014
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