Ogun tightens land process against fraudulent practices

From James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

Determined to ensure that investors get value for their investments in land related transactions, the Ogun State Government has acquired a device, which would boost monitoring of landed property in the State. The device known as Continuously Operation Reference System (CORS) station was to monitor land resources in the state and safe guard same from the fraudulent actions of speculators otherwise known as ‘Omo Oniles’.

The Special Adviser\Director-General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr Adewale Oshinowo who disclosed this in Abeokuta, said the state had also acquired High Resolution Satellite Imagery for the monitoring of the development areas.

He said the CORS Station would allow surveyors in the State, Government Agencies and the general public to have access to data through Radio Satellite and Direct Global Positioning System (DGPS) at their convenience. ‘’This will produce high accuracy maps of the state and Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation projects, the development of the CORS Station network is a continuous process and it will be inaugurated by November this year’’, he said.

Oshinowo said the CORS Stations Project had been built along Lagos-Ogun border areas, Abeokuta, Ijebu- Ode and Agbara while areas like Ifo, Ilaro and Ofada would benefit in the second phase of the project to ensure 100% coverage of the State and boost the economic interest of investors who intend to acquire land for businesses. While saying that regular acquisition of satellite imagery aerial photo, using Unattended Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to update the state’s base map was guaranteed, he added that data base backup and disaster recovery system would be put in place in the event of any disaster. According to him, the network of three CORS Stations for higher precisions and faster surveys is the first of its kind in the country, assuring investors of the safety of their investment and land acquired from the present administration.