Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau on Wednesday signed the
Plateau State Property and Land Use Charge Bill into law, as part of
efforts to boost revenue generation in the state.
The governor speaking at the signing ceremony in his office in
Government House Jos, expressed hope that the bill would address
concerns raised by the state revenue council, on laws critical to
support its revenue drive.
The News Agency Of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor also signed
the Plateau State Legislative Fund Management Law, Plateau State
Judiciary Funds Management Law and Plateau State Geographic
Information Services Law(PLAGIS).
“ Government is charged with protection of lives and property, but property owners also are
required to discharge their obligations, by paying what is due for the
protection of their property, ` he said.
He said the bill would also afford the state government the opportunity to
numerate properties in the state as part of security measures.
“ By the time everyone has their property numbered, if anything
happens to your property, we will know who is in that place and it
will go a long way in safeguarding the state,“ he said.
The governor said funds management laws for the judiciary and the
legislature would guide on the implementation of the recent autonomy
given to the two arms, especially on funds disbursement and approvals.
He added that the PLAGIS Law would be critical in improving land administration
and the enforcement on compliance to Jos Master Plan, to reposition Plateau as the hub of tourism in Nigeria, attract investors and boost revenue generation.
Earlier in his remarks, the Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Chrysanthus
Ahmadu, explained that the PLAGIS law would replace the manual
system on land registration with electronic means for efficiency.
“It will address the issues on tampering with records and issues of
missing files. It is a full proof system that will enhance land
administration, management and control in Plateau, and ensure there
are no revenue leakages,“ he said.
He described the property and land based charges as a revolutionary
law, which if faithfully implemented could grant financial freedom and enable the state government pay
salaries without recourse to Federal Government. (NAN
