Be Transparent on Land Matters, Adegboruwa Advises States

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has appealed to state governments, especially the Lagos State government, to simplify the process of land titling through a central data system.

Adegboruwa made this appeal on Monday during a general meeting themed, ‘Place and nature of agreements in property acquisition and development,’ organised by the International Real Estate Federation, Nigeria chapter, in Lagos.

He said, “The buck lies at the desk of the government because by the Land Use Act, the government has been given the responsibility to manage land on behalf of the people, hence the need for the government to become more transparent and carry the people along so that whenever they acquire land and allot it, the allottees will not be the ones having crisis with the landowners.

“The gathering is meant to interact and look at the land administration in Nigeria, particularly Lagos State, and find out how to remove the hiccups associated with investment and development of land.

“About 70 per cent of cases in the court have to do with issues of property acquisition and taking over of land and unless we get to a stage where the government can be transparent, the process of titling on the property will continue to be controversial.”

The senior advocate also decried impunity in the country, adding that the Federal Government should fund the courts for the judges to become more effective. This, he said, will enable the citizens to hold them responsible.