08 Aug Speech by His Excellency, Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, at the Symbolic Handover of Certificates of Occupancy to Home Owners

[Protocol]

You will agree with me that anyone who has proper documentation to prove ownership and purpose of property will have peace of mind regarding that property. For entrepreneurs, being able to quickly and easily obtain these legal documents is important in making business decisions. In fact, how quickly such documents can be processed can greatly influence an investor’s decision about where to situate a factory or other business premises.

It is, therefore, the government’s responsibility to ensure the right policies are put in place to make the documentation associated with home ownership quick and easy. And this is why we are gathered here today for the symbolic handover of Certificates of Occupancy to beneficiaries of an upgraded version of the Home Owners’ Charter Digitised Certificate of Occupancy. Let me share with you how this intervention differs from what we met when we assumed office a year ago.

First, the acquisition of the new Home Owners’ Charter C of O is now within 60 days from the date of submission of the application form, provided there is no objection. Before now, it would take anything from three to four months. The shorter time period is good, especially for businesses who may choose to be situated in Oyo State. We have eliminated all bottlenecks that lead to delays in the processing C of O.

We have created a digitised platform with georeferencing which enables home owners or holders to confirm the true ownership of a property from anywhere in the world, at their convenience. This means that if you want to buy a property in Oyo State, you can check the authenticity of ownership online from anywhere in the world.

This new digitised platform has all operating equipment and facilities funded by the Oyo State Government. All data will be domiciled on state-owned servers and we ensure the security and safety of all these documents. We have also installed new security features for these documents to checkmate forgery.

For those who have never had the privilege of owning a C of O, this is a good opportunity to get one. From now until December 31st, 2020, you can buy the scratch card to obtain the application form for N6,000. And if you are among the first 2,000 applicants, you will get a 15% discount on the cost of processing your C of O.

I am pleased to extend this intervention to individuals in all the 33 Local Government Areas and 35 Local Council Development Areas of Oyo State. It is my hope that all will take advantage of this opportunity to regularise their home ownership documents, and enjoy the peace of mind and other perks that come with legal ownership of property in Oyo State.