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Borno GIS worries over Poor Response By Residents to Perfect Land Documents

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Borno GIS worries over Poor Response By Residents to Perfect Land Documents

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The Borno Geographic Information Service (BOGIS) has lamented the lukewarm attitude of residents of Maiduguri Government Reserve Area (GRA) and 11other layouts in perfecting their title documents under it pilot scheme to sanitize land administration in the state.

Speaking to newsmen on the development on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the Executive Secretary of BOGIS, Engr. Adam Bababe, said the agency established in 2020, commenced the exercise of perfecting titles in GRA and other areas mostly occupied by elites but the responses so far was below expectations.

“You may recall that upon the establishment of the Service (BOGIS) in 2020, Public Notice was issued calling on the Holders/Occupants of Statutory Rights of Occupancy to perfect their title documents and clear all their outstanding ground rents and other land charges, more specially, Holders/Occupants of disposed government quarters and selected layouts under the Pilot Scheme.

“For the avoidance of doubt the layouts under the pilot scheme are as follows: –
1. NEF/78 and 78F which covers the whole of Old G.R.A.
2. BOTP/131 New G.R.A
3. BOTP/44 Damboa Road
4. BOTP/48 G.R.A Extension
5. LP/NE/30 Former House of Assembly quarters
6. BOTP/122
7. BOSA/44G
8. BOTP/60 Lagos Street
9. BOTP/86 Lagos Street
10. NEP/96 Damboa Road West G.R.A Extension
11. BOTP/172 Molai Quarters.
12. BOTP/72.

“Government upon the expiration of the 3 months’ period also gratuitously granted extension for holders/occupants to regularize their position before embarking on full enforcement of the terms and conditions of the grant of their Statutory Right of Occupancy. For the avoidance of thought the terms and conditions referred to amongst others are;

“1. Covenant to development within 2 years from the commencement date of the term of Right of Occupancy.

“2. To pay without demand in advance annual ground rent before 15 January every year.

“3. Not to alienate the Right of Occupancy or any part thereof by sale, mortgage, transfer of possession, sublease or bequest without consent.

“4. Upon expiration of the term of grant to render up to the Commissioner (now Executive Secretary) in good and substantial repair all buildings on the land which have not been removed with consent.

“5. Change of Land Use without consent.

“6. Subdivision without consent.

“The Service is now in its fourth year of establishment, and it is ripe to scale up the enforcement of all covenants (terms and conditions of grant of Statutory Right of Occupancy) and clear the way for smooth implementation of the Laws and Regulations affecting Land Administration in the State to entrench Excellent, transparent, equitable and sustainable land administration in the Born State.

“In order to attend the vision of the Service to ensure equitable and optimal utilization of land resources for the sustainable development of the Borno State there is the need to step up compliance level of the terms and conditions of grant by grantees of Statutory Right of Occupancy on the one hand and the need for the Service to enforce the breach of such terms and conditions to attain it desire of entrenching good governance in Land Administration in the State.

“I call on all Holders/Occupants of Statutory Right of Occupancy to cooperate with Staff of the Service, as the doors of the Service are always open for all enquiries from 9 am to 4 pm from Mondays to Fridays”, Bababe urged all those concern.

The executive secretary who also spoke on fake land papers tendered by some land owners, said verification exercise has commenced to tracked sources of such papers for necessary action.

He urged those who bought land with such fake papers to cooperate with staff of the agency in addressing the problem.