•Flags Off HOCOS Bonanza Program
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Tuesday commissioned the state office of the Home Ownership Charter Ondo State (HOCOS), saying the scheme will provide easy access to property titling in the State.
Governor Akeredolu, who described the scheme as a landmark achievement, said it was in fulfillment of the promises made by his administration to render quality service to the people of the State.
The Governor commissioned the HOCOS office at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Oyemekun Road, Akure, the state capital.
Governor Akeredolu said it was observed that people encountered challenges in the course of having their landed properties titled.
He identified some of the challenges as inadequate documentation by property owners and the use of archaic, inefficient methods in getting Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) processed.
“All these have, no doubt, made property titling too hectic and burdensome. Available records in the State have shown that many landed properties are without registered titles, leaving the property holders open to all sorts of disputes, risks and inability to initiate any viable transaction with such properties.
“As a responsive government, we have resolved to address the lack of reliable property data which has been the bane of implementing critical developmental plans for effective governance in the area of housing programmes.
“This has also affected citizens’ access to capital for development purposes where they require to use their properties as collateral to access funds.
“I am glad to inform you that we have chosen to implement a customer-friendly approach of procuring property titles known as Home Ownership Charter Ondo State (HOCOS),” the Governor explained.
He stated that the scheme is specially instituted to allow all home owners in the State to obtain their titles with ease, adding that applicants can now apply with the fundamental documents such as Survey Plan, evidence of ownership and payment of a reduced flat rate to have their titles processed.
He said: “The scheme also has a mandate of taking land titling from analogue to digital method with the aim of ensuring transparency, fast tracking and repositioning of land administration processes in Ondo State.
“This scheme is for now, limited to residential developed properties. This will be an advantage for residential property owners to have their interests titled for the purpose of enhancing their economic value and activities.
“Let me state that HOCOS is fast, cheaper and less cumbersome in pressing land titles. So, I encourage every home owner without land title in Ondo State to take advantage of this rare opportunity and get their properties titled.”
Earlier, the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Engr. Raimi Aminu, saluted the Governor’s efforts at developing the state.
He reeled out the various interventions of the Governor at the ministry and across the state, adding that so much has been done to develop the state and the people.