Calitown.com investigations have revealed that the Cross River Geographic Information Agency, CRGIA, the agency of government which has deployed a viable ICT driven platform to help the state implement an effective and efficient land register across the state, looks set to revolutionize land management in the state.
In keeping with this revolution, the Agency, investigations show, has become the repository of all land registry, survey datasets, tariff for all services relating to land as well as the use of her integrated platform to enable capturing, managing, analyzing and displaying all forms of geographic referenced information. Particularly, the Agency is responsible for the issuance of Certificate of Occupancy, Re-certification of C of O, registration of Deeds (assignment, grant, conveyance, purchase, lease, sale, surrender, cancellation, etc), application for state land, provision of comprehensive infrastructure that will make land records tamper-proof, among others.
To underline the importance the state government attaches to the work done by the Agency, state governor, Liyel Imoke, on a recent visit to the Agency described his visit as “symbolic… and done to create awareness for the unit and draw the attention of indigenes and non-indigenes to the best local technology available, integrating and engaging young men and women to help ease land ownership”. It is perhaps a response to the hue and cry that has over the years trailed the issue of land acquisition and ownership that the Imoke administration has responded with, like Clement Oshaka, Director-General, CRGIA put it, “a land administration and geographic information system that is responsive, automated and reliable”.
Application fees, processing fees, approval/consent fees, registration fees, capital gains tax, stamp duties and survey charting, make up a comprehensive list of requirements that must be met for the Agency to unfailingly deliver the C of O within 21 working days. Importantly, calitown.com was informed that evidence of payment will be verified before any application is processed.
All of these processes are designed, we hear, “to add value to land that has often been held by our people without real value”.