By Yinka Kolawole
The federal government has selected Ondo and Kano States for pilot scheme of land reform in the country.

Chairman, Presidential Committee on Land Reform, Prof. Peter Adeniyi, disclosed this recently in Akure, the Ondo State capital at a meeting between members of the committee and stakeholders.

Adeniyi said that the reform would entail scaling up the quality and adequacy of institutional capacities required to administer and promote land transactions in the country. “The reform will involve the identification and removal of existing bottlenecks in the current land titling and registration procedures within the land delivery process.

The project will also involve undertaking a comprehensive survey, including the mapping of the country on a scale, large enough to show land holdings of individuals or corporate bodies among others,” he said.

He called for the support of the Ondo state government for the success of the programme because of its numerous benefits. He remarked that three local governments – Akure North, Akure South and Ifedore – were selected for the pilot scheme in the state, and called for the support of the Ondo state government to ensure success of the programme because of its numerous benefits.

Governor Olusegun Mimiko assured the committee members that the state government will collaborate with the team for a successful take-off of the exercise in the state. He advised them to ensure a good preparation for the implementation of the, adding that the state government is determined to see that the scheme succeeds.

Also speaking at the meeting, the state Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Dr. Bade Omoloja, said the reform would reduce fraud and other risks in land transactions, coupled with guaranteed land tenure security and possessory rights for all landowners and occupiers.

Omoloja declared that residents of Ondo state will soon begin to enjoy economic empowerment through the use of their certificates of occupancy (C of Os) as collaterals to obtain loans from financial institutions. He also disclosed that the state government was on the verge of establishing a Land Bureau aimed at transforming the land sector in the state.