NIS Faults Signing Of C Of O By Proxy

The Nigerian institution of Surveyors (NIS) has said that the delegation of authority to State Commissioners to sign  Certificates of Occupancy (C/O) is an error that is not acceptable under the Land use Act.

NIS in its reaction to alleged delegation of authority by state governors to heir land Commissioners to sign certificates of Occupancy, is inconsistent with the Provisions of the Land Use Act, which gives power to the State governors only.

Chairman of the NIS, Rivers State Chapter, Chief L.W. Chuku in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt said that it will be a very big error for any governor to ask a Commissioner to sign the C/O on his behalf.

According to the State NIS boss “C/O is a national act, and until the constitution is amended, no governor can give the authority to a Commissioner. No state can repeal national act. The governor can authorise them to do something else, but not C/O”.

Chuku however, acknowledged the delay in the process of getting Certificate of Occupancy, which most times discourages people from pushing further or being patient enough.

He said that such processes are to ensure that necessary documents are presented, including the survey plan, and one month publication notice in a newspaper, and that if there is no dispute or opposition to the property, then a C/O can be issued.

Chuku also advised property owners to ensure that they register their properties with the Ministry of Lands, and pay the necessary fees for such registration, adding that the process of obtaining the C/O begins with the registration of the property in the Ministry.

It would be recalled that, unlike the situation in most other states, the Rivers State Government has established a new department, Riv-GIS, for faster processing of certificates of occupancy which are usually signed by the governor.