The Managing Director of the Edo State Geographic Information Service (EdoGIS), Dr. Tony Ikpasaja, has revealed that his administration inherited over 7,500 abandoned applications for Certificates of Occupancy (C of O), allegedly neglected by consultants engaged by the immediate past administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Dr. Ikpasaja made the disclosure during a meeting with the executive members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council, in Benin City.
He explained that the backlog—comprising thousands of land registration files uploaded into the EdoGIS database—was left untreated by the former consultants, despite applicants having paid the required fees.
“It was like they just abandoned the files. Citizens paid for land registration, yet their applications were left unattended. We suspect that only files of interest to the consultants were processed,” he alleged.
Dr. Ikpasaja further disclosed that his administration, within just two months in office, has successfully processed and captured over 9,000 C of Os, which are now ready for collection. He assured affected applicants that their long-awaited documents would soon be issued, as the agency was concurrently working on both the inherited and new applications.
Highlighting reforms under his leadership, he said a newly deployed software system has significantly increased efficiency, enabling the registration of over 9,000 certificates in just two months—a stark contrast to the 1,000 recorded between 2023 and February 2025 under the previous administration.
In a startling revelation, Dr. Ikpasaja recounted how the consultants shut down the agency’s systems upon exit, leading to the loss of critical applicant contact information and disruption of operations.
“When we assumed office, the consultants locked us out of the system and tried to delete as much data as possible. But, by the grace of God, we were able to recover and restore everything. No applicant’s data was lost,” he assured.
He added that new equipment has been procured to replace outdated infrastructure, and staff morale has significantly improved.
“We have also restructured the entire data system to meet modern standards. Applicants who have not yet received their certificates should remain patient. We are fully operational and committed to delivering results,” he said.
This development comes in the wake of revelations by the Assets Verification Committee led by Dr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, which alleged that 22 ICT contracts amounting to N22 billion were awarded under the Obaseki-led administration. The committee also claimed that non-state actors were in control of Edo’s e-government platforms and that the disengaged consultants were being paid N5.7 billion to maintain the system.
Dr. Ikpasaja affirmed that EdoGIS is now firmly under state control and is committed to transparency, improved service delivery, and restoring public confidence.
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