Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has revealed how he denied himself sleep to sign 300 Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) in one night because of his burning desire to open up the state for investment.
He said his administration met piles of already processed Certificates of Occupancy owned by investors, who were waiting for the documents to access facilities from financial institutions to commence operations in the State.
He said there were also several applications by individual land owners, who were seeking valid documents to commence development of their plots, adding that he had to act promptly to address the situation.
“That’s why I went through a sleepless night through the documents and signing them,” he stated, adding that, “I remembered I signed over 300 certificates in one night.”
Also speaking on the development, the Director General of the Nasarawa State Geographic Information Service (NAGIS), Sonny Agassi, said the incumbent Governor accelerated the processes leading to the provision of Certificates of Occupancy to land owners in the state in compared to his predecessors in office.
He said the number of C of Os signed by Governor Sule between the period he assumed office in 2019 to date were more than those endorsed by all his predecessors combined together.
Mr Agassi said 8,893 C of Os were signed by those who superintended over the affairs of the state between 1999 to date, adding that out of the number, Governor Sule endorsed 5,344 of the documents within a space of over four years.
According to the data provided to journalists, the incumbent governor was followed by his immediate-past predecessor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, who signed 3,254 in his eight-year administration at the Shendam Road seat of power.
The data also indicated that the late former Governor Aliyu Akwe Doma signed 24 of the documents within the four years he oversaw the affairs of the state as its chief executive, while the first civilian governor of the state, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, signed 254 C of Os between 1999 and 2007 he was in office.
The information showed that the military administrators, who governed the state from the time of its creation in 1996 to 1999, endorsed a cumulative of 153 documents to land owners in the state.
Mr Agassi said the governor’s record in the land sub-sector was unprecedented and underscored his commitment to creating a conducive business environment for investors to take advantage of the many potential that abound in the state.
He explained that the C of Os produced and issued by NAGIS were one of the most secured in the country.
He said the certificates which are printed by the Nigerian Security, Printing and Minting Company (NMPC), boast of many unique features which cannot be forged.
Mr Agassi stated that 10 per cent of the certificates were issued to businesses operating in the state, noting that history will be kind to Governor Sule for opening the state to investors for the benefit of the citizens.
