…So Far, So Good!
The Katsina State Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, formerly known as the Ministry of Lands and Survey, has witnessed significant transformation under the present administration of His Excellency, Malam Dikko Umar Radda, CON.
In the first place, the administration changed the name of the Ministry to pave the way for the implementation of new models of land administration and to foster greater synergy between land administration and land-use planning.
Generally, the government has introduced contemporary, technology-driven innovations in the State Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning to ensure effective service delivery in land-resource management.
These initiatives are designed to enhance accessibility to land, improve land-use planning, and promote efficient management of land resources across the State.
As the custodian of land resources in the State, the Ministry, through its Valuation Department, assesses lands and properties affected by various developmental and infrastructural projects, particularly the Urban Renewal Programme of the present administration.
In this regard, the government has so far spent billions of naira on the payment of compensation to various land and property owners across the State.
The government has also settled long-overdue compensation to those affected by the expansion of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Airport, Phases One and Two.
Others include those affected by the Charanchi Eastern Bypass and Katsina road projects; Kofar Guga–Kofar Soro; Kofar Marusa–Barhim Junction; Kofar Sauri Junction–Yandaki Village; Kuraye–Radda; and the Jabiri–Sokoto/Funtua dualisation road projects.
Other beneficiaries include those affected by the construction of Special Secondary Schools, the establishment of the Federal University, Funtua, and the College of Agriculture at Gidan Na Banje in Kafur Local Government Area, among others.
Also, in furtherance of the Urban Renewal Programme under the Building Your Future Agenda of Malam Dikko Radda, the State Government has spent over ₦230 million on the review of the Katsina, Daura and Funtua Master Plans for 2025–2040.
The review takes into consideration the growing population and the need to give the three major cities a befitting facelift.
Considering the fact that “those who fail to plan, plan to fail,” the Malam Dikko Radda administration, from the outset, convened a stakeholders’ meeting where the Governor issued a strong warning against the misuse and violation of the State’s planning laws.
In a bid to strengthen development control and ensure compliance with building and planning regulations across the State, the government spent ₦725 million on the procurement of earth-moving and utility equipment for use by the State Urban and Regional Planning Board (URPB). The equipment includes pay loaders, excavators, tippers, Hilux vehicles, load-bed vehicles, utility vehicles and motorcycles.
For the record, the Agency had long been in need of these important machines and equipment, but their procurement could not be achieved until the administration of Malam Dikko Radda.
Recognising that efficient land management is crucial to socio-economic development, the Dikko Radda administration enacted a law that gave birth to the Katsina State Geographic Information Service (KATGIS).
The establishment of this viable agency is aimed at improving the management of land resources across the State, reducing conflicts between landowners, introducing modern land-administration practices in line with global standards, and enhancing internally generated revenue (IGR).
To ensure the effective take-off of the newly established KATGIS and promote efficient service delivery to the people, the government has incurred an expenditure of about ₦900 million on its implementation.
It is gratifying to note that KATGIS has now become a model in Katsina State and one of the leading land-information management institutions in the region and Nigeria at large.
This is reflected in the production of a large number of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O), as well as the implementation of the re-certification programme and the processing of new titles.
Realising that surveyors in the State were in dire need of modern and sophisticated surveying equipment, the government immediately explored various avenues to provide the necessary equipment for the smooth running of surveying activities across the State.
Fortunately, His Excellency, the Executive Governor, Malam Dikko Umar Radda, approved the procurement of the latest models of surveying instruments.
These instruments include dual-frequency GPS equipment and its accessories.
The Governor also approved the procurement of another set of modern, standard surveying equipment worth millions of naira.
These include a sophisticated multi-purpose survey drone and a set of dual-frequency Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers.
The drone has the capacity to map extensive areas of the earth’s surface, while the GNSS receivers are capable of accurately determining geographical coordinates and distances.
Similarly, the government, under the Dikko Radda administration, installed a Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) at the main office of the Office of the Surveyor-General of the State (OFSG).
The CORS serves as a reference base that allows multiple users to work simultaneously at different locations without interference. It is also capable of acquiring and providing geographical data 24 hours.
The newly acquired instruments are of global standard, high quality and user-friendly.
They are capable of capturing, processing and analysing data within a short period of time.
Other advantages of the new surveying instruments include aerial mapping, deep-surface surveying, improved accuracy, increased speed, and the ability to store and manage data for multiple users from a single control system without overlap.
Prior to these developments, surveyors in Katsina State had largely relied on obsolete equipment, some of which had been in use since the creation of the Office of the Surveyor-General of the State (OFSG) as an extra-ministerial department
With these developments, the Katsina State Government is steadily advancing towards achieving a world-class, enabling environment for businesses and residents to build their future.
Compiled by:
Yakubu Lawal Abdullahi
PRO, MLPP, Katsina
Katsina State
About The Author
