The Abia State Government, through the Ministry of Lands, has reaffirmed its commitment to the successful implementation of the National Land Titling, Registration and Documentation Programme aimed at modernising land administration systems across Nigeria.
The Honourable Commissioner for Lands, Chaka Chukwumerije, stated this while receiving the National Director of Lands and Housing Development, Alabi Collins, and his team during a meeting at the conference hall of the Ministry of Lands in Abia State.
According to the Public Relations Officers of the Ministry, Okezie Uwakwe and Ifeyinwa Kanu, the programme, championed by the Federal Government in collaboration with the World Bank, is designed to strengthen land tenure security, improve land registration efficiency, unlock economic value from land assets, expand access to mortgage financing, and enhance internally generated revenue for participating states.
Speaking during the stakeholders’ engagement, Chukwumerije reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of Alex Otti to building a transparent, technology-driven and investment-friendly land administration framework capable of supporting sustainable development and economic transformation in Abia State.
He noted that the state is already making significant progress through ongoing digitalisation, GIS upgrades, systematic land mapping, and accelerated Certificate of Occupancy processing initiatives.
The commissioner disclosed that Abia has emerged as one of the leading states in land sector reforms, with over 5,707 land titles issued since the inception of the present administration and more than 944 titles processed this year under the state’s 30-day Certificate of Occupancy policy.
He further highlighted ongoing digitization of land records, GIS modernisation, completion of high-resolution aerial mapping across the state, and plans for comprehensive street numbering and digital land registry systems.
In his remarks, Alabi Collins expressed appreciation for the reception accorded his team in Abia State, noting that the National Land Titling Programme is expected to address longstanding challenges affecting land administration, including manual registration processes, fragmented records, inaccurate mapping systems and delays in land documentation.
According to him, the initiative will promote the adoption of modern GIS-based Land Information Systems and internationally recognised Land Administration Domain Models to ensure transparency, efficiency and interoperability.
Abia State also welcomed the Federal Government’s directive placing states at the centre of implementation, while the Federal Government provides policy coordination and harmonisation support.
The World Bank is expected to provide technical assistance, institutional capacity building and implementation financing.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Lands and Housing, Okoroji Aji, said the programme would boost investment confidence, improve urban planning, support mass housing development and unlock land assets for economic growth through increased access to credit and mortgage opportunities.
As part of the next phase, Abia State is validating its needs assessment submissions and preparing priority funding requests to support the full digital transformation of the state’s land administration system.
The commissioner later led the visiting team to the state’s digitisation bureau, equipped with modern facilities provided by the administration of Governor Alex Otti to enhance land administration processes and align them with international standards.
