By Adedapo Adesanya
The Plateau State Government has moved to boost its dwindling internally generated revenue (IGR) by increasing its land income drive.
This is as income from the country’s major mainstay, crude oil, is dwindling due to the increased use of alternative means of energy such as solar and biofuel which is eroding the dependence on fossil and the allocation to states is reducing.
According to the state’s Commissioner for Lands, Survey, and Town Planning, Mr Yakubu Dati, land-based revenue has remained hugely untapped and the returns from the sector are in dire need of a turnaround.
Mr Dati stated this in Jos during a stakeholders engagement on efficient land administration and revenue, championed by the Ministry.
According to him: “It is beyond argument that the world over land-based revenue is the new black gold of the 21st century and based on this we have brought professionals, technocrats, development partners and clients of the Ministry under one roof to brainstorm on the way forward and to chart a way forward for the growth and development of the State through increased revenue generation,” he said.
In his keynote address, the Vice-Chancellor, Plateau State University, Bokkos, Mr Yohana Izam, said he has been at the forefront of land administration in the State.
He said Plateau was currently ranked 16 out of the 36 states in terms of revenue generation from land and with proper land administration, the position could jump to number one in the country.
Mr Izam, who is currently National President, Nigeria Institute of Building, noted that currently, there are problems with land encroachment across the states in the country due to improper land administration, adding that such encroachment negates the development of infrastructure.
The Ministry has now prioritised five vital areas it intends to leverage in its bid to improve revenue such as enumeration of properties in the state, mandatory recertification of all certificates of occupancy, standardization of conversion of titles from customary to statutory among others.
Modupe Gbadeyanka