Kaduna State Deputy, Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe
By AMOS MATHEW, Kaduna
Kaduna State has been recognised as a leading state in land administration and selected as one of the pilot states for the Nigeria Land Titling, Registration and Documentation Programme (NLTRDP).
The Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, disclosed this on Monday when officials from the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the World Bank paid her a courtesy visit at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna.
She attributed the milestone to reforms initiated by Governor Uba Sani, particularly the upgrade of the Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS), which has strengthened land administration processes in the state.
Balarabe noted that the progress made by Kaduna in digitising land administration has positioned it as a model for other sub-national governments to emulate.
She, however, stressed the need for additional support to further accelerate ongoing reforms and enhance efficiency in land management systems.
The deputy governor assured that the state government would continue to collaborate with the Federal Government and the World Bank to ensure the successful implementation of the NLTRDP.
Speaking during the visit, the Director General of KADGIS, Dr Bashir Garba Ibrahim, commended the governor for introducing new revenue streams such as sectional titling, a system currently operational only in the Federal Capital Territory and Lagos State.
He added that other initiatives introduced by the administration include shop registration and the farm lease programme aimed at boosting internally generated revenue.
According to him, the state is also working to regularise over 100 undocumented layouts to enable property owners to properly register their holdings.
Ibrahim further appealed for World Bank support to upgrade the state’s land administration software, noting that the current system cannot effectively handle the growing number of users and transactions.
He said the proposed upgrade would enable residents to access their bills online, make payments and obtain receipts without physically visiting KADGIS offices.
The KADGIS boss also revealed that the agency has established a unit to handle federal land titles in the state in a bid to eliminate cases of multiple ownership claims.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Director of Lands and Urban Development, Alabi Collins, said the World Bank would support the NLTRDP aimed at reforming land governance in Nigeria.
He explained that the programme seeks to promote efficient land titling and registration processes, as well as unlock the economic value of land assets for governments, businesses and individuals through improved transparency and documentation.
