The Edo Geographic Information Service, (EdoGIS) says despite the challenges it had to deal with due to the shutdown of its system by the consultant engaged by the immediate past Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration, it had issued more certificates of occupancy to applicants in three months than the previous government did in more than two years. The Managing Director of EdoGIS, Dr. Tony Ikpasaja, who disclosed this at the weekend when he hosted the Executive of Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Edo State Council, said whereas the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration between February and April 17, 2025, registered over 9,000 Certificates of Occupancy, (C of O) the previous government registered1,000 between 2023 and February 2025. Dr. Ikpasaja, who was appointed to head the agency in January 2025 by Governor Monday Okpebholo., said it operates according to international best practices The managing director, who underscored the importance of registering landed properties with the agency and obtaining certificates of occupancy, assured that within the next few weeks or months, his office would clear the 7,500 pending applications it inherited from the past government. He said the files belonged to applicants who wanted their land to be registered and captured in the EdoGIS database but regrettably, they were not attended to. Ikpasaja attributed the feat in signing over 9,000 certificates of occupancy within the period despite the challenges created by the consultant who ran the agency’s operations to the acquisition of a new software. He said the recently purchased more sophisticated equipment improved its productivity and ensured that applicants’ requests were attended to as quickly as possible. While he assured applicants that their files for certificates of occupancy would be treated and captured in the database, he cautioned that any landed property without a Certificate of Occupancy would not be a legal asset. According to Dr. Ikpasaja, “As of today, I can boldly tell you that we have captured and processed over 9000 files of certificates of occupancy. We have also been signing and issuing out certificates of occupancy. “Over 9000 certificates of occupancy have been registered from February 2025 to date with the new software against 1000 registered from 2023 to February 2025. “When I came on board, I met about 7500 total files of applicants that were not attended to. It is disheartening that people will pay for registration and you will just leave the files there unattended. “Within the next few weeks or months, we will clear the applications we have, and we will give Nigerians and Edo people their Certificates of Occupancy. “I also want to assure those that have applied that as far as their certificate is here and being processed, your land is secure because, by our system, nobody can come and process that particular land again. “The kind of restructuring we did was a total departure from what it used to be before or met on the ground because the staff are operating on international best practices. “What we have now today does not give you room to keep files because we are working accordingly to the World Bank standards which is the international best practices”. Dr. ikpasaja said to ensure that all landed property owners were carried along in the administration of land in the state, the agency opened offices in Auchi and Ekpoma in Edo North and Central senatorial districts respectively. He said the development was to ensure that Edo GIS’ operations were brought to the grassroots.
