The Ogun State Government has initiated steps to enhance infrastructural development of the state. It has introduced the Homeowners’ Charter Programme aimed at enabling homeowners regularize the legal status and documentation of their properties.

 

The scheme, according to a statement from the state Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning, will apart from forming an integral part of the government’s mission to rebuild the state, provide data for the medium-term planning for provision of roads, schools, hospitals and other essential services.

 

The statement said further that it will enable owners of properties build without government approval regularize their title documents through a window of opportunity to obtain building plan approval and certificates of occupancy. “All penalties and fees would be waived while fees are discounted to enable a large percentage of residents benefit,” it said.

 

The GIS Satellite mapping of the state, the ministry said, revealed significant numbers of unrecorded properties, while thousands of houses in the state have no building plan approval, certificate of occupancy and other title documents.

 

The statement said: “It is expected that properties with regularized documents will benefit from Ogun State Governments’ urban renewal policy through effective planning of facilities in the areas of education, health and other essential infrastructure.

 

It will also minimize disputes of ownership of properties while property related fraud and problems of land speculators are reduced to the barest minimum.The Homeowners’ Charter Programme will also enhance the value of the property market in the state.”

 

The statement, however, categorizes some properties as those that are not eligible for participation in the Home Ownership's’ Charter Programme. They are: Properties built under Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s (PHCN) high tension cable, those built on the government’s acquired land, property occupying right of way of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines, property built on flood plains and a host of others that contravened the law.

 

Residents are urged to take advantage of the Homeowners’ Charter aimed at allowing them to regularize the titles of their properties at reduced cost.

 

 

Final Word by Omonile Lawyer

 

Very Good and Commendable Move by the Ogun state Land bureau. There are so many properties in Ogun that do not have the requisite papers nor do the land owners know the importance and necessity of getting their documents regularized so as to avert future issues.

 

With this it makes it easier for people who have always wanted to perfect their documents to willingly come out and ratify their documents. Lagos state should take a cue from Ogun and do likewise!