Delta Govt Slashes Certificate of Occupancy Cost by over 100%

Delta Govt Slashes Certificate of Occupancy Cost by over 100%

Delta State Government has slashed the cost of procuring the Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) from N425,000 to N200,000 per plot of land.

The new scheme enables acquisition of the certificate to be completed in 90 days while those in possession of the old ones are required to pay the sum of N50,000 per lot of land.

The state Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, at the commencement of "Fast-track 90" project in Asaba on Thursday, said the initiative was designed to eliminate the bureaucratic bottlenecks that had long militated against the acquisition of Co f O in the state.

He unveiled the electronically generated C of O project during the ceremony with an appeal to stakeholders to cooperate with the government to ensure the success of the initiative.  

Okowa noted that statistics showed that though there were the over 400,000 land/property owners in the state, the government has issued out only about 19,000 certificates of occupancy. 

Nonetheless, the governor red the riot act to dubious government officials who shirked their responsibility regarding the issuance of C of Os in the state, saying such officials would be duly sacked.

He also warned against inflation of the cost of approving building plans by the planning department of the Ministry of Lands and Surveys.

Okowa warned that: "Don't do things that are not right; don't slow down the process of procuring certificates as we will clamp down on anyone found to be inefficient."

He noted that the Fast-track 90 project was an innovative policy to ease the process of doing business in the state, saying that the high cost and delay associated with acquiring legal deeds on landed properties constitutes one of the greatest discouragements to investors.

"One of the biggest disincentives to investors anywhere in the world is the high cost and delays associated with acquiring the legal titles to landed property in the state, the process of obtaining C of O has over the years become very long, arduous, unwieldy, and opaque, often resulting in unofficial payments far in excess of the approved amount., he said.