Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
Chairman of the Kwara State Geographic Information Service (Kw-GiS), Mallam Abdulmutalib Shittu, has said he was never arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as against alleged speculations in a section of the social media.
Shittu made this clarification while fielding questions from journalists at the press conference to render stewardship of his agency for 2020/2021 land administration period.
He had said if people see him going to the office of the anti-graft agency, it only mean that the attention of the Kw-GiS is needed where a case bothering on land matters involving dignitaries is being investigated and only his office could shed light.
READ ALSO: https://www.thexpressng.com/updated-4-300-community-groups-in-lagos-endorse-sanwo-olu-tinubu/
Meanwhile, land owners in Kwara State can now get their Certificates of Occupancy (CofO) in 30 days while Building Permits is only within 15 days as soon as applicants complete all formalities, according to the Kw-GiS boss.
He said the Service which was signed into law in 2020 but took off fully in 2021 had endeavoured to break grounds in the areas set out to make the difference from the old order in land matters.
According to him, though Kw-GiS had not relied solely on government for funding yet, it generated about N1billlion revenue, the largest ever in the history of the state agencies in charge of lands which was first made possible by collapsing the separate arms of the former Bureau of Lands into one.
According to him, this was done to make the expected quick services to the people possible, through the modern-day safe technologies adding that records are kept via the internet using the up-to-date information technologies. This technique helps to remove the fear of fire outbreak which in the past had been responsible for loss of files and vital records in government agencies.
In all, more than 1,000 applications on land relating matters had been received by Kw-GiS and had been treated with the speed they required as against the old order, leading to the signing of 1,000 Certificates of Occupancy.
He added that the Service under him afforded his staff to study in the relevant fields in the administration of lands and obtain certificates, get awards for good performance at work and have access to bank loan facilities to own their own lands with the support of the office as benefits that workers under him should enjoy.
To the populace, he said, Kw-GiS gives benefits to them by assisting them to secure landed properties, get them speedy processing of their land matters and arrange good synergy between them and the banks and as well assist them to put all their transactions on the net through the agency lines for save life-keeping.
