LAGOS ISSUES TITLE DEEDS TO STATE HOUSING ALLOTEES

By NBF News

Senior Special Assistant to the State Governor on Land Matters, Mr. Aina Salami, who disclosed this at a press conference in Lagos, said that the documents were ready for collection, adding that concessionary charges approved by the Governor were N10,000 for Low Income Houses, N15,000 for the Medium Income Houses and N20,000 for the High Income Houses.

Salami said that the documents would be presented to legitimate owners in batches and on a weekly basis, and that many allottees and house owners are yet to go to the respective housing agencies managing their properties to append their signatures on the documents.

'It is important to point out that title documents can only be processed for registration after an allottee might have duly signed such documents,' he stressed, adding that names and other particulars of those who had earlier on appended their signatures on their documents had been registered and would be published in newspapers.

Meanwhile, Salami, who is also the Chairman of the Technical Committee set up by Governor Babatunde Fashola to access landed property revoked, or under acquisition, by the State Government, said that the committee has earmarked 60 villages in Lekki for initial visit to assess properties in the area. He said that the committee had received a total of 257 applications for excision from affected villages, stressing that at least 20 villages will be visited each day.

Salami explained that forms have been sent to affected villages and appealed to them to fill out the information to the best of their knowledge to assist the committee in making needed recommendation to the governor. According to him, under the new arrangement, application for land excision must be duly authorised by representatives of the towns, villages or settlement.

He explained that the five divisions where application have been received will also be visited in due course. 'In our subsequent visits to villages in Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry axis in that order, we will endeavour to inform the concerned villages before our coming,' he added.

Salami however remarked that the committee has no power to grant excision applications, but to consider applications forwarded to it based on information gathered by the committee, adding that the visits to any land does not amount to approval by the governor.

'Therefore third party dealers and land speculators should beware that all lands in Lagos State under acquisition or revocation remain so until formal approval of excision by His Excellency, Babatunde Raji Fashola and issuance of Certificate of Occupancy to applicants relating to the excised land,' he said.

The Governor's aide stressed that there is no statutory payment or receipt of any sum under any guise since there is no processing fee payable on application for excision. He asserted that there is no need for payment of any sum for entertainment or gratification to any person whatsoever, neither has the committee appointed any agent to act on its behalf.