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Land Grabbers, Threat To Real Estate Industry – Expert

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7 years ago

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Chairman, Association of Estate Agents of Nigeria (AEAN), Mr Adeolu Ogunbanjo, has described the activities of land grabbers (Omo-Onile) as a major challenge affecting the development of housing and infrastructure in the country.
Ogunbanjo made the observation in an interview with newsmen in Lagos yesterday.
He said the frequent demands of the land grabbers had discouraged many investors from investing in the real estate sector.
The chairman said most investors, after considering all the payments involved in acquiring and developing housing projects including the payments to the land grabbers, usually diverted their investments to other sectors.
According to him, the land grabbers usually surface after developers might have paid the original land owner and made all necessary payments for the land.
“The issue of Omo-Onile is a serious challenge to the real estate sector. All land belongs to the state government.
“After an investor buys a land and makes necessary payments, I see no reason for the Omo-Onile to continue to surface with different demands.
“Let the issue of Omo-Onile be eliminated for the real estate industry to record remarkable growth,” Ogunbanjo said.
He added that they stop work from going on at sites and were to ready to kill in cases where the developer failed to meet their demands.
Ogunbanjo commended the Lagos State Government for setting up special Task Force on land grabbers and called for more public awareness regarding the duties of the task force.
“The activities of these people constitute an obstacle to structural developments and can discourage many from investing in this area because not all developers can compromise to such exploitative demands,” he said.
He lamented that some architects and developers had lost their lives through the actions and activities of land grabbers.
“Even when someone wants to bring in some big machines and equipment into the factory, the same set of people will surface demanding for payments.
“I think the government should look into the issue and put an end to it by enacting a law that prohibits any set of people from collecting money from developers,” he said.
Ogunbanjo expressed the fear that if nothing was done to curb the exploitative activities of land grabbers, it would eventually be established as a norm.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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22 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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22 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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22 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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