Th e Kogi state Commissioner for Works, Housing, Lands and Urban Development, Engr Abdulmumin Sadiq has said the administration is working to digitalise the land titling system in the state as a strategy to boost Internally Generated Revenue, adding that current economic realities requires innovative approaches for sustainable development. According to the Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, who spoke to our correspondent in Abuja, “when we came on board, we discovered that the land titling system in the state was archaic and we decided to digitalise it.
” Th e Commissioner who was Executive Director (Services) at the Lower River Niger Basin Development Authority, “digitalized land titling system has enormous advantages over the analog system,” and we are deploying the experience and resources we have to actualize it. “As such, we will generate a lot of revenue for Kogi state especially in this dwindling economy. According to the Sadiq who was one of the ten engineers trained by Julius Barger Nigeria (JBN) in Geographical Information System (GIS), no serious government will pay lip service to the quest for digitalized GIS saying that the process is already in progress. “
I am one of the 10 Nigerian engineers trained by JBN when JBN was setting up GIS for Nigeria and so I know the importance,” he said adding that the Yahaya Bello administration will remain committed to the standardisation of practices in land and in other sectors of the economy. He called for the reactivation of comatose road maintenance agencies in states across the federationadding that by activating Kogi State Road Maintenance Agency (KGRMA), the government saved no less than 35% of cost of road maintenance in the state. According to the Commissioner, “road construction can be contracted to contactors but states should be encouraged to empower their maintenance agencies to keep the roads in good shape,” he said adding that the current economy calls for innovative measures that will not only save cost but also ensure the provision of sustainable infrastructure for emerging cities in Nigeria.
