The Enugu State Geographic Information System (ENGIS) shortly after its establishment is helping deliver seamless land administration in the state.
What obtained before now was a system that was prone to errors, abuse and outright fraud with genuine investors and landowners regularly exposed to disputes, losses and the heartbreak that goes with it.
When Governor Peter Mbah came in, part of the areas that immediately caught his attention and resolve for a thorough clean up was the land administration system in the state.
Following this, Enugu State Geographic Information System (ENGIS) was born.
In serving as a centralised digital land registry and spatial data hub, it makes land records accessible, secure and manageable.
It enables online applications, search and issuance of land titles, like Rights of Occupancy, Certificates of Occupancy, thus reducing dependence on manual/paper based systems that are prone to abuse and corruption.
The system has introduced rapid processing of title applications, with land title applications now reportedly able to be completed within roughly 48 hours from submission to issuance.
This is a huge fit and of course relief for those engaged in land related businesses.
It provides geospatial data, mapping and survey services, which helps define boundaries, support land allocation/allotment, reduce disputes and support urban planning.
Thus, it makes the expansion of the urbanization programmes of the suburbs around around the state capital easy. Mini cities and the estates they carry are developed with mappings that host trackable features.
ENGIS enhances transparency and accountability in land administration, helping to eliminate practices like double allocations, land grabbing, unauthorised constructions and revenue leakages.
Many prospective investors or citizens who simply needed land to settle, have in the past been subjected to untold hardship and agony associated with the racketeering the dismantled system was characterized with.
By formalising and digitising processes, it reduces the risk of such a fraud like fake or duplicated land ownership claims, and gives greater security of tenure to land users and investors.
It supports ease of doing business, one of the key areas the governor is determined to keep improving, and the overall investment atmosphere in the state.
Faster land title issuance and reliable land records reduce delays and risks for developers and investors.
The ENGIS is not only utilitarian for ease of practice and administration in the land management sector of the state’s public service, it is a revenue enhancement tool for the state government through its efficient and effective application that reduces leakages, improves yield of land based revenue and enables a more comprehensive collection of land charges.
The governor no doubt wants a functional, modern Enugu state. ENGIS is therefore part of a broader reform agenda to achieve this total renewal initiative that is increasingly gaining traction through digitised land administration of all land related processes to come under a technology driven, people oriented architecture.
