Nasarawa Unveils Plans To Enhance Land Management, Urban Development

Nasarawa State commissioner for Lands and Urban Development,  Umar Tanko Tunga, has unveiled a three-pronged action plan to revolutionise land administration and urban development in the state.

The initiatives slated for immediate implementation over the next four weeks, aimed to address systemic challenges while promising to promote efficiency, transparency,  collaboration across the ministry and the implementation of the 2025 budget.

The announcement followed a four-day engagement between the commissioner and departmental heads, during which each unit presented its functions, responsibilities, and operational hurdles.

Tunga emphasised the urgency of executing the strategy, which prioritizes sectoral urban planning, digital transformation, and public-private partnerships (PPP).

He said the first component targets accelerated urban development through sectoral plans for select areas, beginning with the Lafia eastern bypass corridor.

Acknowledging the delays and costs associated with traditional master plans,  Tunga said the ministry will come up with a comprehensive action plan for the bypass.

This approach, he noted, will ensure orderly development and enhance livability for residents.

According to him, the second initiative focuses on modernising the ministry’s operations through full computerization. This includes digitizing land records, automating approval processes, and establishing a centralized database to improve service delivery through collaboration with NAGIS.

He urged departmental heads to submit innovative ideas within a week to form the digitization framework, stressing that technology is critical to eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks.  He promised to provide training platform on computer to staff that are still computer illiterate.

He noted that third pillar involved leveraging PPPs to streamline land titling and unlock economic value.

The commissioner revealed plans to collaborate with landowners and real estate developers to formalize titles, a move  expected to boost environmental serenity  and increase state revenue. He ordered the immediate identification and selection of pilot sites for the scheme.