Kwara state Geographic Information Service (KW-GIS) said that it generated about N900 million in its 2022 operations through applications for land titles from prospective landowners in the state.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Thursday, the executive chairman of the agency, Mallam Mutalib Shittu, said that the feat was made possible due to reforms introduced to achieve the vision of modern land administration in line with international best practices which has helped in stabilizing the service.
He also said that fully automated operations had made the application and processing of a Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) possible within 30 days.
The KW-GIS boss said that prospective builders in the state could obtain a building permit within 15 days of application.
He added that the agency planned to establish additional offices in both Kwara South and Kwara North senatorial districts of the state to bring services closer to people and make it more efficient.
“We have kind of stabilized the service to a certain extent away from the past. We make sure the income continues to grow while we transition gradually by full automation; bringing all the paperwork into the computer, let the computer do it. That reduces the time. So what we are trying to do is reduce the time of production of CofO to 30 working days”, he said.
Mallam Shittu also revealed that the service is also working to decentralize its service with the creation of zonal offices in the three senatorial districts of the state.
The KW-GIS, who said that the state government could lose investment opportunities without proper land administration, added that the mandate of the agency included proper planning of every community in the state.
He said that the Ilorin master plan would be ready in the first quarter of the year, adding that implementation was already going on after due consultations, workshops, and exhibitions with stakeholders.
He also said that the agency had trained 50 staff in Information Communication Technology (ICT) to ensure effective and timely automated operations.
