By Fisayo Akinduro
The Ondo State Government has commenced the digitisation of old survey records as part of efforts to modernise land administration and achieve a paperless system that will eventually enable residents to conduct property-related transactions online.
The Surveyor General of the state, Surveyor Idowu Owolabi, disclosed this on Thursday in an interview with WEEKEND HOPE, saying the Office of the Surveyor General had already migrated the issuance of pillar numbers required for processing survey plans from the analogue system to online processing.
He said the digitisation of old and previous survey records was also underway, describing the exercise as a major step towards full automation of the system.
“Once we are done with that, then we are good to go to the next stage, which is automation, whereby the public at any point in time can achieve their goal online without physical contact with any officials,” he said.
Owolabi, however, stressed that the state had yet to attain full online land administration, warning that residents could not currently conduct land searches or process applications entirely online.
“That cannot be done absolutely for now,” he said, advising anyone intending to undertake a land transaction to approach the relevant government agencies, particularly the Ministry of Lands and Housing, for the necessary checks and information.
He explained that land administration in the state involved three major government agencies with distinct responsibilities, the Office of the Surveyor General, the Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning and the Ministry of Lands and Housing.
According to him, the Office of the Surveyor General handles the survey component, including mapping parcels of land earmarked for development and determining their perimeter surveys.
“When the parcel of land is earmarked for developmental projects, the Office of the Surveyor General will map out the area and carry out the survey activity, determine the perimeter survey of it,” he said.
Owolabi said the process, subsequently moves to the Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning, which uses the perimeter survey or survey plan to prepare the required designs and layouts.
“If that one is done, it will come back to the Office of the Surveyor General for the physical implementation of what is designed in the layout,” he said.
He explained that the land would then be surveyed and set out into plots in line with the design prepared by the physical planning authorities, before the Ministry of Lands and Housing handles the final stage of land allocation.
On land encroachment, the Surveyor General described the menace as a “serious headache”, saying the government had established an anti-land grabbing task force which commenced operations at the beginning of the year.
“One of the major steps is the establishment of an anti-land grabbing task force. And this task force has swung into action since the beginning of this year and is taking a better shape,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the task force would eventually bring the menace to an end.
“We believe that an end will be put to this ugly development, by God’s grace,” he said.
Addressing concerns over the rapid expansion of Akure, the state capital, and the possibility of uncontrolled development and future urban congestion, Owolabi said the preparation of a master plan fell within the responsibility of the physical planning authorities.
He, however, assured that the Office of the Surveyor General remained committed to protecting government properties across the state.