The Kogi State Bureau of Lands Development has commenced a state-wide property enumeration exercise to enable individuals, organisations, communities, and foreign investors to identify and claim ownership of their property under dispute-free conditions.
The Permanent Secretary of the Bureau, Estate Surveyor and Valuer Baiyegusi Taiwo, spoke on behalf of the Director General, Abdulmalik Teina while addressing journalists at the launch of the initiative in Lokoja on Monday.
“Property enumeration is aimed at creating an accurate database that will enable the government to plan for the socio-economic and security development of the state,” he noted.
Teina explained that the current administration, led by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, has demonstrated a strong commitment to transforming Kogi into an economic and commercial hub and an investment haven. The property enumeration exercise, he added, is intended to build a data bank containing precise information about existing lands and other properties in the state.
He urged citizens to cooperate with officers conducting the exercise by providing accurate information about their properties. He stressed that the initiative is not designed to target or harass anyone but to facilitate state planning.
Teina also advised residents not to make payments to enumerators deployed for the exercise, stressing that the initiative is free of charge.
Speaking through the Permanent Secretary, Baiyegusi Taiwo, Teina highlighted several benefits of the initiative, including ease of business transactions, improved security services, increased investment opportunities, wealth creation, and the reduction of land disputes among individuals, communities, and organisations.
“When fully implemented, this initiative will make Kogi State a destination for local, national, and international investors. It will also significantly reduce land disputes between individuals, communities, and organisations,” Teina added.
