Enugu’s governor, Peter Mbah, has slashed all land-related fees in the state by 70%, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Managing Director of the Enugu State Geographic Information System (ENGIS), Mr Chiwetalu Nwatu, revealed the development, speaking to newsmen in the state today. Nwatu explained that the decision was to promote land accessibility across various income levels among Enugu residents.
” The big news for the people of Enugu state today is that our governor, Dr Peter Mbah, has magnanimously approved a reduction in what is paid for land administration,” says Nwatu.
” Most of the reductions today were as high as 60%, some 50% and others as high as 70%,, Nwatu added.
In addition to the reduction, the governor also put policies in place to ensure that issues of proper allocation and land grabbing are permanently addressed in the state.
What Does ENGIS Do?
Inaugurated by Governor Peter Mbah in 2024, ENGIS is a technology-driven agency responsible for the digital transformation of land administration and spatial data management in the state. It essentially serves as the state’s modern, digital land registry.
ENGIS was created to move land management away from slow, manual, and often fraudulent paper-based processes into a secure digital environment. In simple terms, it was created to digitise the land registry. Some of its cogent functionalities include
- Accelerated Land Titles: ENGIS facilitates the processing and issuance of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) and other land titles within 48 to 72 hours. This is a massive step up from the manual process.
- Fraud and Dispute Prevention: By digitising records, ENGIS eliminates challenges such as land grabbing, double allocations, and the use of forged documents. It provides a single source of truth for land ownership
- Online Land Verification: Individuals and investors can conduct land searches and verify ownership records entirely online, without visiting a government office.
- Revenue Management: The system automates the payment of ground rents and other land-related fees, ensuring transparency and reducing revenue leakages for the state government.
- Urban Planning: It uses advanced geospatial intelligence to help the government improve operations, including planning infrastructure, monitoring environmental changes, and managing new urban areas.
The ENGIS chairman broke the news of land fee reduction today, and is a very credible source in Enugu state as far as real estate is concerned.
In an earlier report, the Enugu State Government, under the Office of the Surveyor General, announced its proposed launch of digital charting for private lands and plans. These government land reforms aim to promote accessibility and transparency in a lucrative, booming real estate sector.
