Imo: Digitisation Catalyst To Transparency In Land Administration, Says Bar Association

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri chapter, has stressed that digitisation of land administration would serve as a catalyst to transparency, development and Sustainability of the ministry in Imo State.
This is even as they described the project as a landmark initiative that will end years of racketeering and corruption in land matters.

This was made known by the Chairman of the NBA, Imo State, Barr Chris Ihentuge, while interacting with the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Physical Planning, Chief Enyinna Onuegbu, at the state secretariat.

Barr. Ihentuge eulogised the state government for introducing digital reforms in land administration, noting that such innovation would bring transparency and efficiency to the system.
He said, “It is only a stupid person who sees someone doing well and does not commend him,” he remarked, lauding the Commissioner and the state Government for their proactive measures.

Barr. Ihentuge, however, expressed concern over the delay in the registration of titles and searches, attributing it to the transition process occasioned by the ongoing digital reforms.

They appealed for improved synergy between the ministry and the legal community to ensure smoother operations, particularly in areas that directly involve legal practitioners.

Barr. Ihentuge also sought the ministry’s collaboration in implementing the new professional regulations governing the preparation of legal documents related to land administration.

According to Ihentuge, “In 2023, the Attorney-General of the Federation issued an order, which was gazetted, stipulating the mandatory charges a lawyer must apply when preparing documents such as land titles. It is now considered professional misconduct for any lawyer to charge below the approved rate, and we cannot effectively implement this without the support of government agencies like the Ministry of Lands.”

The association appealed to the state government to establish an estate dedicated to lawyers, to be known as the “Lawyers’ Village,” where members of the profession could acquire and develop property collectively.

Responding, the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Physical Planning, Chief Enyinna Onuegbu, commended the NBA leadership for the visit and constructive engagement.

He acknowledged their concerns and explained that the temporary delays were due to the ministry’s ongoing transition to a fully digitalised land administration system.

Chief Onuegbu assured the association that once the e-administration process becomes operational in the coming weeks, the perfection of titles and related processes—largely handled by lawyers—will become faster, more transparent, and free from middlemen or touts.

“Duplications of titles are caused by manual record-keeping. Once registration becomes fully digitalised, more than 90 per cent of such problems will be eliminated. There will be no duplicity in land allocations,” the Commissioner stated.

He further assured the NBA of the ministry’s readiness to support the implementation of their new order paper on the lawyer’s payment regime and requested a detailed schedule outlining how the ministry could assist.

On the proposed Lawyers’ Village, Chief Onuegbu highlighted that the state has sufficient land for such a development and encouraged the association to formally write to the governor for possible approval of a designated layout.