Lagos to introduce electronic land survey verification

The Lagos State government is working on plans to introduce computer based land survey verification designed to check and eliminate quackery in land survey documentations in the state.

Olorunjuwon Agbenla, the acting surveyor general of the state, who disclosed this in Lagos said the electronic verification system would not only lead to improvement on land survey related issues, but also identify and eliminate quack surveyors and fake survey plans.

Agbenla said the state government has empowered his office with modern equipment, such as geospatial information system and digital maps (GIS) that will make the commencement of the computer based survey verification possible, stressing that this would further fast-track the process of issuance of land information certificates, consent letters and certificate of occupation.

He stated that the system would also save prospective land buyers from purchasing government acquired or committed lands as well as expose quack surveyors, and fraudulent land speculators.

The surveyor general who stated that his office was not leaving anything to chance in stemming incidences fake survey plans and documents, added that plans were underway to establish more zonal and local offices in the state to enable Lagosians, particularly the rural dwellers, have access to land information services that will put paid to the activities of “extortionists and land grabbers.”

He advised prospective land buyers and owners to always hire the services of qualified and registered surveyors for the survey of their lands, urging them to ensure that they insist that their surveyor submit their ‘red copy’ to his office in accordance with the state’s survey act.

Agbenla stressed the need for land owners to obtain documents and titles in conformity with the policy of the government, as such documents were essential as a means of knowing the status of the land and making application for certificate of occupancy (C of O). He implored prospective land owners to investigate the status of the land before acquisition.