Ogun  State Government last Monday presented 5,000 Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) and Building Plan Approval to beneficiaries of the state’s Home Owners’ Charter scheme.
Govenor Ibikunle Amosun, who presented the documents to qualified applicants at the Arcade Ground in Abeokuta, said the government gave a discount by reducing the cost from N500, 000 to N95, 000.
The governor said that the scheme was introduced because of the difficulty people encountered in acquiring genuine certificates and title documents for landed properties.
Amosu, who explained that that similar exercise would henceforth not attract discount, commended the people for turning out en masse to benefit from the scheme.
He pledged his administration’s continued commitment to provision of dividends of democracy to the people, and commended the professional bodies and financial institutions that helped in making the scheme a success.
“The overall success of the scheme depended largely on your continuous and unflinching support and we want to assure you that we will continue to work with you,” he said.
The governor assured qualified applicants who had yet to get their certificates to exercise patience, saying they would definitely get the document in time.
Amosun promised that 500 title documents would be signed and presented to beneficiaries on a weekly basis.
Mr Wale Osinowo, the Director-General Bureau of Lands and Survey, said that programme was aimed at helping property owners in the state that had lost hope in protecting their property.
The state Chairman of Community Development Council, Chief Isaiah Olatokunbo, commended the governor for the gesture, adding that the presentation of C of O had put doubting “Thomases to sleep’’.
The chairman urged the government to simplify the procedure to enable more people to benefit from the programme.