Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State said the newly digitised Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) under the Home Ownership Chartered of Ondo State Scheme(HOCOS), would boost economic activities in the state.
The governor said this during the distribution of the digitised C of O to the first set of beneficiaries on Wednesday in Akure.
Akeredolu, who explained that the economic activities of the people through transactions with financial institutions, would be boosted through HOCOS, said it was aimed at ensuring transparency, fast-tracking and repositioning of land administration in the state.
The governor maintained that in line with HOCOS objective, his administration had successfully moved from a five-leaf manually produced C of O to an abridged single-sheet digitised format that was produced with speed and efficiency.
“The objective of HOCOS is to make land transactions and titling less cumbersome and transparent to the public through digitisation of processes. We are proud to say that we have achieved this objective.
“The new single-leaf C of O to be distributed today has been designed with the highest technological standard, with the introduction of security features to protect the integrity of the document.
“It will also enable easy conduct of property search and prevent cyber fraud,” he stated.
Earlier, Mr Raimi Aminu, Commissioner for Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, applauded the governor for his ability to manage the meager resources, and also to achieve much in the state.
He said the title document conferred on property owner, the legal rights to the land resources, describing the HOCOS as a life transforming scheme.
“With Mr Governor’s support and his initiative, we are seeing it all today, you know this is a government for the people,” he said.
Aminu also said that very soon the state would migrate to the second phase, which would be Ondo State Geographical Information System, among other facilities.
“That by this, investors coming to the state would know which area would be suitable for their investment,” he said.
The Commissioner for Finance, Wale Akinterinwa, while enumerating the opportunities and benefits of HOCOS, said title owners could easily approach any bank for money to fund their various businesses with ease.
Similarly, Mr Tolu Adegbie, Executive Chairman, Ondo State Internal Revenue Services (ODIRS), appreciated the governor for the initiative.
Adegbie said that the bankers present had been taken around the simplified process of searching, registration of deeds and perfecting mortgages.
He congratulated the beneficiaries, noting that the scheme was a game changer for C of O issues in the state.
Speaking, the Chairman of Ondo State Council of Obas and the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, who explained that it took him about six years to process a C of O in the past, lauded Akeredolu for the initiative, which he said had changed the narrative.