From Gyang Bere, Jos

The Plateau State Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Town Planning, Hon Yakubu Dati, said with the dwindling revenue generation from the oil sector, the ministry is exploring land-based revenue in collaboration with stakeholders to ensure maximum revenue generation for the overall development of the state.

Hon Dati disclosed this Thursday during a stakeholders’ engagement on “Efficient Lands Administration and Revenue Generation” organised by the Ministry, held at Eliel Event Centre, Jos, Plateau State.

He noted that land-based revenue has remained hugely untapped in Plateau and the return to the sector for adequate revenue generation was what informed the stakeholders’ engagement programme.

‘It is beyond argument that the world over, land-based revenue is the new black gold of the 21st century even more so with the dwindling income generated from crude oil occasioned by alternative means of energy such as solar and biofuel which is eroding the dependence hitherto placed on crude oil,’ Dati said.

‘In Plateau State, land-based revenue has remained hugely untapped and the returns from the sector are in dire need of a turnaround.

‘It is for this and other reasons that the Management of the Ministry deemed it necessary to organise this stakeholders’ engagement in order to bring both professionals, Technocrats, development partners and clients of the ministry under one roof to brainstorm on the way forward and to chart a way forward for the growth and development of the state through increased revenue generation.’

He explained that the Ministry has identified priority areas it intends to leverage in its bid to improve revenue in the state which includes enumeration of properties in the state; mandatory recertification of all certificates of occupancy; standardisation of conversion of titles from customary to statutory; massive issuance of demands notice for payment of ground rent and commencement of recertification within the Miango and Rantya layout.

Dati noted that the process of obtaining titles is being simplified as well as the medium of payment of fees by the ongoing integration between the Ministry and the Plateau State Internal Revenue Service to reduce public apathy in the payments of land-based fees in the state.

‘The ministry is not leaving any stone unturned in its bid to becoming the major revenue earner of the state and a critical stakeholder in the realisation of His Excellency’s vision for the state which is being threatened due to paucity of funds.’

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President of Nigeria Institute of Builders and Vice Chancellor of Plateau State University Bokkos, Prof. Yohanna Izam said the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Town Planning is critical to improving internal revenue generation for maximum development in Plateau State.

He noted that Plateau was listed as number 16 among the 36 states of the Federation on the revenue index and said the stakeholders’ engagement by the Ministry of Land and Survey has the potential of placing Plateau on the first roll on the revenue index.

Prof Izam explained that there is no University in Nigeria that is not battling with the issues of land, ranging from land encroachment and refusal to release land by communities for development.

The Accountant General of Plateau State, Cyril Tsenyi urged business owners whose organisations have gone moribund to file tax returns to enable the government to consider granting them tax relief.

He noted that government may not know the challenges confronting some organisations in the state and assured them that the government will remain friendly to the business community.

Stakeholders at the engagement programme pledged to cooperate with the government in the area of revenue generation in the state and urged the government to stop multiple taxations and ease the processes for easy compliance.

It called on the government to provide the enabling environment for businesses to strive in the state for efficient revenue generation.

The Chairman, Plateau State Economic Team, Nde Ezekiel Gomos, said the Lalong administration has reduced 50 per cent of the total amount for the Certificate of Occupancy for the citizens.

He said all the observations raised by stakeholders would be taken into consideration for mutual relationships.