By Baktok Nashak
Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang has approved a 50% rebate on land title transactions, effective from July 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
Commissioner for Lands, Barr. Peter Nyam Gai disclosed this during an interview session on Dr. Fish Radio, where he stated that, “This rebate is a gift to the people of Plateau State.”
Highlighting his two-year scorecard, Gai noted that the time it takes to obtain a land title has been significantly reduced. “When I took over, it used to take forever to get a land title. But now, it’s just three to five months at most,” Gai stated.
The commissioner attributed this achievement to efficiency-driven reforms introduced to the ministry under his watch and the dedication of staff.
He revealed that files in the ministry’s custody have been digitized, creating a database of clients’ files, and that this has addressed the issue of missing files. “We used to be known as the ministry of missing files. But not anymore,” Gai said.
He also stated that the renovation of offices has created a conducive working environment for staff, adding that when he took over, the offices were in shambles and stocked with outdated equipment, but that with the support of Governor Mutfwang, everything has undergone a transformation. “His Excellency’s support has been instrumental in transforming our ministry,” Gai acknowledged.
Gai said a key factor in the ministry’s efficiency is the digitization of Governor Mutfwang’s signature for speedy authorization. “The Governor’s signature has been digitized, which has significantly sped up the authorization process,” he said.
Gai announced that the ministry has issued 4,000 land titles in the past two years, compared to 1,000 issued by the previous administration over an eight-year period. “We’ve issued 4,000 land titles in just two years, whereas the previous administration issued only 1,000 in eight years,” he stated.
This achievement has helped the ministry exceed its revenue target. “For the first time,” the commissioner said, “we have exceeded our revenue target, thanks to the efficiency of our processes and the support of His Excellency, the Governor.”
He disclosed his collaboration with the traditional institution, citing his recent courtesy call to the Gbong Gwom, Jos. “We’re working closely with the traditional institution to stamp out multiple allocations of land, exorbitant charges for signing documents, and to profile fraudulent individuals who are giving the institution a bad name,” he revealed.
When asked about middlemen impersonating ministry staff, Commissioner Gai revealed that these individuals take advantage of clients’ ignorance of the great improvements in the ministry’s services. “They make a mountain out of a very simple and straightforward operation just to charge exorbitantly,” he said.
Gai emphasized that with the improved GIS, robust inter-departmental relationship, and good feedback mechanism, clients don’t need any agents. “With our current system, clients can process their land documents without any middlemen,” he stated.
Although he admitted that there are some good agents, Gai promised to profile the fraudulent ones in collaboration with a federal agency and the traditional institution and announced that there is a help desk to attend to clients who are not familiar with processing land documents.
To make it easier for clients to identify ministry staff, Gai stated that staff will be wearing uniforms every Thursday. “You can easily spot our staff on Thursdays because they’ll be wearing uniforms,” he said.