Gov. Bassey Otu has announced the full digitalisation and fast-tracking of the certificate of occupancy issuance process to ease land administration in Cross River.

Mr Otu announced this on Wednesday in Calabar during a visit by members of the Cross River Land Cluster.

The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to his `People First’ mantra saying the process became necessary to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks that have long plagued property owners and investors in the state.

“Getting a C of O used to take years, frustrating many landlords and business owners, now we are changing that with this new digital system. We can deliver certificates faster, cleaner and more efficiently,” the governor said.

Earlier, the commissioner for lands, Francis Ekpenyong, described the issuance of CofO as liberation for Cross River residents that banks had marginalised due to the absence of proper land documentation.

He said the exercise was unlocking Cross River residents who were locked out of the economy, adding that property owners could stand tall before any financial institution with the certificates.

Similarly, Patrick Bassey, the Surveyor General of the State, pointed out new security features like QR codes that make each CofO verifiable and tamper-proof.

While urging residents to take advantage of the new system, he said the development showed that Cross River was on a digital growth path.

William Archibong, director-general of the Cross River Geographical Information Agency, commended the governor for creating a conducive environment to deliver on his campaign promises.

Mr Archibong said that with the new system, CofO for government lands would now be issued within 21 days and 42 days for private land.

“This is a major departure from the past administration, where analogue systems led to delays and frequent errors, now, everything is digitised and streamlined,” he said.

As part of the unveiling, Mr Otu presented CofO to some landlords and business owners, including Victor Okon-Ansa and Mainland Oil and Gas Company Ltd.

(NAN)