Sanwo-Olu Launches Land Acquisition Automated Application Portal

Lagos State has introduced an electronic Geographic Information System (e-GIS), which offers digital access to all information on the State Land before a purchase is made, marking the most advanced stage in land acquisition and documentation.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu unveiled the e-GIS portal on Friday. This comprehensive digital platform streamlines and transforms the land acquisition, documentation, and verification process in Lagos.

Applications for land titles moved from the centuries-old manual paperwork into digital form as soon as the portal went live. In addition to eliminating the need for intermediaries to process land titles, the innovation has also eliminated the fees that applicants previously paid to attorneys, surveyors, and registration agents in order to obtain land titles.

The Lagos State Land Bureau has made it possible for individuals to verify, search, and register for land titles, including the Governor's Consent, with the convenience of their own residences and a single click on a computer mouse.

Applicants also have the option to request a government survey or a Certified True Copy (CTC) on their landed property, which is applicable to all State land.

The e-GIS portal, which was implemented during the Sanwo-Olu administration, was built upon the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) that the state had received from the administration of former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who initiated the digitization of land title documents in Lagos.

The Babatunde Fashola administration implemented electronic documentation of Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) in accordance with the EDMS framework. Former Governor Fashola implemented a computer-generated paper system that incorporated sophisticated security features, such as barcodes, to replace the outdated C-of-O format. This revolutionised the State's land records by effectively preventing duplication and forgery.

All archived land records from the 19th century have been integrated with all land titles and arranged in Sanwo-Olu's e-GIS, which also stores historical transactional data on each parcel of land in the State's cadastra.

The Governor was overjoyed by the introduction of the e-GIS portal, as he had stated that the project was on the verge of abandonment due to unforeseen setbacks and delays encountered during the digitization process.

The portal, according to Sanwo-Olu, has revolutionised land distribution in the state and increased the accuracy of land's economic value. The Governor compared the state's land to a "golden egg" and remarked that the implementation of the state's new technology-driven administration system had improved and sanitised the transparency of land transactions.

"I am quite happy with the e-GIS site debut today," he stated. "I had been afraid that the project may be shelved because of unsuccessful attempts to launch it during the previous 15 months. Today, another milestone is reached in our endeavour to transform Lagos into a city of the twenty-first century, wherein residents can conveniently access land information and services from their residences.

This commitment highlights our strong desire to establish a conducive environment for both Lagosians and investors by removing the obstacles that arise from manually operated systems. The newly implemented technology-driven system, in accordance with our Smart City vision, will enhance the provision of services to our citizens, foster transparency, and encourage accountability.

"Before now, obtaining land titles and search data for land that Lagosians wished to purchase was a living nightmare." The e-GIS platform will provide exceptional service and turnaround time for our clients. "By means of this cutting-edge and automated procedure, land transactions in the metropolis have been converted from paper-based to digital formats, where they are interpreted and incorporated into the workflow of our Land Registry."

Sanwo-Olu expressed his satisfaction that the innovation would decrease the time required to complete land acquisition transactions and the amount of resources devoted to data search.

The Governor stated that the new platform would facilitate data integration among the Ministries of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Environment and Water Resources, Science and Technology, Transportation, and Works and Infrastructure, thereby fostering collaboration among government agencies in the land administration ecosystem.

By employing Momentum Land Administration Solution software, Lagos, according to Sanwo-Olu, has joined a global league of cities that develop sustainable solutions through the use of technology.

"The software is a dependable instrument that personalises and optimises business workflow," stated the governor. In addition to securing our documents and increasing revenue generation and productivity, it seeks to improve land-related transparency and efficiency.

"I humbly request all personnel to log into this novel system and dedicate their utmost effort to this task. In land administration, the new system is streamlined, secure, and effective in eradicating corruption and unwarranted gratification. It is our duty to guarantee that the citizens of Lagos enjoy the novel experience without any preconditions.

Dr. Olajide Babatunde, Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, stated that Sanwo-Olu established the e-GIS office in order to consolidate data of MDAs and create a single database that would alleviate the difficulties the public had previously encountered in the land administration system.

Olajide stated that the Governor established twenty e-GIS units across MDAs that required automated spatial data for daily operations in order to facilitate additional data integration.

The Special Adviser stated, "This system has enabled us to adopt a participatory approach to ensure that we not only provide, enable, adapt, and sustain the portal's buildings and infrastructure, but also safeguard public confidence."

Mr. Bode Agoro, Head of Service (HOS) and former Permanent Secretary in the Lands Bureau and pioneer of the project, stated that the Sanwo-Olu administration had established an impregnable data chain and thanked the Governor for his support throughout the team's arduous labours to materialise the project.

Prior to the implementation of EDMS by the Tinubu administration, Agoro stated that land data and information searches took four weeks; this time period has since been reduced to three days.

"With the click of a button, all pertinent information regarding any State land will be displayed on the system via Governor Sanwo-Olu's e-GIS portal." This results in the formation of a chain that no system can break. Agoro stated, "The new innovation has allowed us to cleanse data, just as it assists us in identifying forged land titles in Lagos."