Valuer Decries Process Of Obtaining C Of Os

An estate surveyor in Port Harcourt, Hycent Oseji, has decried the difficulty encountered by property owners in the process of obtaining Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) in Rivers State.

He said that this has become a challenge to members of the public, as many people have been discouraged along the line due to delay and cost of obtaining such document.

Speaking in an interview with The Tide, Oseji who is a Principal Partner of Osas and Oseji, a property consulting firm in Port Harcourt, said that the process is cumbersome and its requirement as well as cost are very high.

According to him, the general cost of land transaction is high in Rivers State and most properties in Port Harcourt do not have registered titles.

He therefore, urged the state government and relevant authorities to make the process of registration of titles to be more simplified and affordable.

Oseji said “The Commissioner for Land should be empowered to sign deeds of mortgages and deed of assignment, instead of going through the Ministry of Justice”.

This he said would remove some administrative bottlenecks and make the process faster, pointing out that the cumbersome processes in obtaining C of O and other documents have reduced the interest of those that would want to invest in home ownership and housing development.

Corlins Walter