Uzodimma Inaugurates Land Information Service Centre

Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, has inaugurated the Imo Land Information Service Centre located within the State’s Secretariat.

He said the era of corruption in land transactions in the state was gone.

The governor said his administration’s efforts to bring to an end what he described as “ugly era of land grabbing, fraudulent titles and inability of citizens to secure credit because banks could not verify ownership,” has paid off with the Land Information Service Centre now in place.

The governor regretted that the old system cost the state billions of naira, stalled commerce and eroded confidence.

He pointed out that the new digital platform will recognise the “head title”- the original owner of the land, noting that “If you are not the original owner and cannot explain how you acquired it, the system will flag you.”

Governor Uzodimma warned that the digital system will “offload’’ anyone who tries to backdate land documents.

He further explained that the Land Information Service Centre platform, built in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and National Space Research and Development Agency (NSRDA), stores every land-related document, including both known and unknown security features in a secure online database.

“These features,” he said, “allows citizens easy access to verify Land ownership, apply for titles using their phones or computers from the comfort of their homes or offices.”

Governor Uzodimma thanked the Imo State House of Assembly for passing the necessary governing legislation, and for buying into the idea, and praised the team of Imo-trained experts who will manage the system.

His words: “Our internally generated revenue will almost double, if not triple with the deployment of this system.

“We have waited almost six years for a system that we can be proud to hand down to our children and grandchildren. This platform will restore dignity to our Civil Service and position Imo State as a model for digital governance.”

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Physical Planning, Barr. Enyinna Onuegbu highlighted the symbolic burning of over a hundred cartons containing defunct and abrogated Certificates of Occupancy printed by the previous administrations, underscoring the government’s commitment to erasing outdated practices.

“These bundles will be burnt today to mark our total departure from the past, the wrong history we had in the former administration,” Onuegbu stated.

He also thanked Governor Uzodimma and the state’s leadership for turning Imo into an “electronically powered Ministry of Lands, joining the ranks of Abuja, Lagos and Enugu as a model for digital land governance in Nigeria.”

Onuegbu pledged that the Ministry of Lands and Survey “would contribute more than enough revenue to the State by enthroning a reign of professionalism, integrity, honour and dedication.”

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Digital Economy and E-Government, Dr. Chimezie Amadi described the Land Information Service Centre as not just a milestone in Governor Uzodimma’s drive to create a smarter way of doing business and digitally empower Imo State, but “a demonstration of the unwavering commitment of Governor Uzodimma to modernise land administration, put in transparency and deliver faster and citizen’s focused services.

He noted that the Centre is a strategic component of Imo Digital City Limited initiative, integrating technology, data and innovation to strengthen land governance and support sustainable development across the State.

The Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency, (NSRDA) represented by Dr. Godstime Kadiri James described the Centre as “topnotch, one in a million,” noting that most services would be accessible via mobile phones, and that application had been “tested extensively” with redundant services for continuous access.

He explained that the new Centre has positioned Imo State among a growing number of Nigerian States using technology to modernise land administration, aiming to boost revenue, reduce disputes and attract investment to the State.

Highpoint of the event was the tour of facilities in the Centre, during which officials demonstrated the land recertification process on a live digital platform.