By David Godwin Enang Esq. MICIArb, AICMC
I acknowledge and commend the notable and praiseworthy initiative championed by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Lands and Town Planning, Hon. Ubong Inyang, and the progressive leadership of the House of Assembly under the Leadership of Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, in advancing the Bill for the establishment of the Akwa Ibom State Geographic Information Service (AKWAGIS).
As a legal practitioner based in Abuja with experience in property transactions and land disputes across Nigeria, I can state with professional conviction that the challenges posed by overlapping land titles, fraudulent double-allocations, and unclear land records are not peculiar to Akwa Ibom, they are a national affliction. In Abuja for example, there are over five recognized title to property, but one cannot over emphasize the importance the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) plays in Land Registry within the FCT.
What sets this initiative by the Honourable Commissioner apart, however, is the deliberate, legislative, and technology-driven approach being adopted by Akwa Ibom State to solve what many governments have merely managed.
The decision to consolidate, digitise, and secure land ownership records, survey data, and urban planning information into a centralised database is not merely an administrative reform but a legal revolution. From a legal practitioner’s standpoint, a single verifiable register eliminates the ambiguities that fuel several years of litigation and erode investor confidence in Akwa IbomState. It brings us closer to a regime where land transactions are predictable, enforceable, and trustworthy.
I commend Governor Umo Eno for aligning the ARISE agenda with such a critical pillar of economic development. No serious foreign direct investment conversation can be sustained without secure, transparent property rights. AKWAGIS delivers exactly that foundation.
Of course, the true test of any reform lies not in its legislation but in its execution. AKWAGIS will require sustained political will, adequate funding, and deliberate public sensitisation to ensure that communities, especially in rural areas, are not left behind in the transition from analog to digital land administration.”
I equally commend the House Committee on Lands, Housing and Urban Renewal, led by Hon. Sampson Idiong, for the inclusive public hearing process. Good legislation is shaped by the voices of those it governs, and this consultative approach is a mark of institutional maturity.
Akwa Ibom State is setting a commendable standard for the rest of the federation. I urge the other state legislatures to study and domesticate similar frameworks. The time for analog land administration in a digital economy is long past.
Congratulations to the good people and government of Akwa Ibom State.
*David Godwin Enang Esq.*
Legal Practitioner
