16th May, 2012
The Lagos State Government has raked in N10 billion from land transaction in the last one year. This represents a shortfall from what it generated the previous year.
Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola disclosed this today at a ministerial news conference. In 2010, the state government raked in N18 billion from the sale of land. The shortfall recorded in the current transaction represents N8 billion.
“This revenue performance, however, represents a shortfall compared to the figure generated in 2010. This was largely brought about by the fact that almost all of our land schemes were fully subscribed and closed for further allocations,” said Muri-Okunola.
“This challenging situation , not withstanding, the Bureau is poised to improve its revenue performance within this new year and beyond through a number of new land schemes and other revenue-enhancing programmes that will come on stream,” he said.
On land revocation, the permanent secretary disclosed that 11 revocations were carried out last year across the state, with a monetary compensation of N1.5 billion paid to those affected.
He further lamented the high rate at which some unscrupulous individuals and community leaders indiscriminately sold out government’s land to unsuspecting members of the public.
“It has been discovered that these dubious land speculators, with the active support of some traditional rulers are in the habit of selling government land to unsuspecting members of the public.
“The state government had recently taken notice of criminal activities of these people in Omole Scheme II and Magodo ‘B’ Series along the canal and cemetery area of Magodo, among others.
“The public is hereby warned to be wary of these questionable land speculators who go about with fake land titles and false claims that acquired government land belongs to them and their families,” he stated.
Muri-Okunola added that “because unsuspecting members of the public have thereby been defrauded, people intending to acquire interest in land in these areas and in deed in any part of Lagos are hereby advised to ascertain the status of such land from the State Surveyor General’s office.”
He also said the various land schemes of the government had been encroached upon, thereby preventing government allottees from taking physical possession of their plots of land to commence development.
“The state government wishes to state unequivocally that all illegal structures and shanties constructed on state land by individuals, companies or institutions without valid titles and approved development permits will be demolished by the appropriate government agencies in line with applicable statutory provisions,” he said.
“Therefore, the public are advised not to patronise criminal land speculators as all infringements, by way of erecting structures on government’s land without valid titles and building approvals, will be dealt with,” he added.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga