We Are Committed to Transparency and Performance: Lagos Lands Bureau Assures Lawyers, Stakeholders of Sweeping Reforms and Overhaul

The Lagos State Lands Bureau has assured stakeholders of sweeping reforms aimed at ensuring efficiency, transparency, and public trust in its operations.

At a meeting held between top officials of the Bureau and representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, following the latter’s protest letter over what it described as crippling delays, staff corruption, inefficiency, and bureaucratic bottlenecks within the Bureau, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Kamar Olowoshago, informed the NBA delegation that sweeping reforms and a comprehensive overhaul are currently ongoing. He emphasized the management’s commitment to improving efficiency and enhancing service delivery.

Earlier in his presentation, the leader of the NBA Ikeja delegation and Chairman of its Access to Justice Committee, Olumide Oniyire, SAN, raised several issues forming the core of lawyers’ complaints. These included the need to dismantle all bottlenecks that restrict stakeholders—particularly lawyers—from accessing the Bureau; streamline the cumbersome land documentation process; improve communication and feedback mechanisms; and provide better power and internet infrastructure to address the persistent downtimes on the Bureau’s electronic land documentation platform, Aumentum.
Mr. Oniyire, SAN, further stated that if these issues are not promptly addressed, they would continue to impugn the integrity of lawyers before their clients.

Responding, Mr. Olowoshago assured the delegation that rather than creating bottlenecks for stakeholders and professionals, the card-tagging system deployed by the Bureau was introduced to curb touting and restore workplace order and decency.

On power supply, the Permanent Secretary informed the NBA team that with the State Government’s provision of two new generating sets and the installation of a new solar power system, the era of protracted power outages in the Bureau had become a thing of the past.

Regarding internet infrastructure, the Bureau assured the NBA that it has secured the State Government’s approval for bandwidth expansion. He added that the ongoing upgrade and migration of the Aumentum electronic platform would be completed in a few weeks, promising improved service delivery.

The Permanent Secretary further disclosed that as part of its upcoming reforms to enhance service delivery, the Bureau plans to introduce a multisectoral service desk where representatives from relevant agencies—such as the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), the Office of the Surveyor-General, and other stakeholders in the land documentation value chain—will operate from a one-stop shop within the Bureau. He explained that this initiative would significantly reduce turnaround times and improve efficiency.

Responding to the NBA’s concerns about reports of corruption within the Bureau’s workforce, Mr. Olowoshago urged lawyers to provide concrete evidence of any corrupt activities involving Bureau staff. He assured that his administration would leave no stone unturned in investigating and sanctioning any staff found culpable, to serve as a deterrent. He emphasized that he prioritizes open, accountable, and efficient service delivery, adding that no file remains on his desk beyond 12 hours.

On improving feedback mechanisms and public communication, the Bureau informed the delegation that, in addition to a new 24/7 chatbox feature on the Aumentum platform—where complaints are promptly addressed—it also holds a monthly regulatory clinic, providing an avenue for direct engagement with stakeholders and the public to resolve pressing concerns.

In his intervention, the Branch Secretary of NBA Ikeja, Ayodeji Olabiwonnu, Esq., reiterated the Association’s commitment to ensuring that all impediments faced by lawyers in the course of their professional duties are completely dismantled. He assured the Bureau of NBA Ikeja’s readiness to collaborate in any genuine effort to enhance efficiency, curb corruption, and improve service delivery.

While appreciating the NBA delegation for its intervention, Mr. Olowoshago also urged the Association to examine the activities of certain individuals who, though claiming to be members of the legal profession, engage in unwholesome practices within the Bureau. He assured that the Bureau would not remain the same after the engagement.

Other members of the NBA delegation included the Branch Vice Chairman, Chinenye Udeh, Esq.; the Publicity Secretary, Kayode Agbedejobi, Esq.; and the Provost, Femi Dodo, Esq.

Also present to receive the delegation, alongside the Permanent Secretary, were the Executive Secretary, the Registrar of Titles, and other senior officials of the Bureau.