Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Governor of Ogun State, has approved the formation of a Judicial Commission of Enquiry to look into Land Allocation, Documentation, and numerous potential unlawful land dealings that have occurred in the state recently.
The Commission was established in keeping with the administration’s commitment to transparency in government operations and drive to make doing business easier, according to Oluwasina Ogungbade SAN, Ogun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
He stated that the Governor is aware that the legal framework for registering property is a crucial indicator in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings (EODBR), which determines how desirable a jurisdiction is for investments. According to the statement, “the Governor hopes that the Commission would help in uncover and redress any practices regarding land allocation and documentation in Ogun State that are harmful to investment or good social order.”
According to the release, Honourable Justice S A Olugbemi (Rtd) would chair the Judicial Commission, who will be assisted by Adetunji Onabowo Esq (a Legal Practitioner), and CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun (Rtd), the immediate Commissioner of Police in Ogun State.
Odesanya Shakiru Tunde of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors and Mr Toyin Aluko, an Estate Valuer, are the other members.
The Governor will formally inaugurate the Commission at a later date, after which the Governor will declare the period of the Commission’s mission.
The Commission’s Terms of Reference, according to the statement, will include the following: a mandate to identify and unravel all illegal land transactions that have occurred between 2019 and date, to identify all perpetrators and accomplices involved in such illegal dealings, to receive and investigate general public complaints about land acquisition and documentation in Ogun State, and to make recommendations to reduce bottlenecks, delays, and corruption in land acquisition.