GOGIS under Dr Kabiru Usman Hassan

By Adamu Umar Kumo

Gombe Geographic Information Systems (GOGIS) is an agency under Gombe State Ministry of Lands and Survey saddled with the responsibility of modernizing land administration in Gombe State in accordance with international urban planning standards and practices to pave the way for infrastructural development in Gombe State.

To ensure a solid foundation has been laid for successful takeoff and smooth running of the agency, His Excellency, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya appointed a competent personality and Contemporary Town Planner with more than a decade of experience in the profession, Dr Kabiru Usman Hassan to pilot the affairs of the Agency.

GOGIS, under the leadership of Dr Kabiru Usman Hassan, has modernised the process of issuing land titles and other related documents using state-of-the-art facilities. The transition and integration of land information into a unified geographic database has given the agency easy access to information about any piece of land or landed property with a click of a finger. This has drastically reduced duplication and other forms of malpractices and corruption in land administration.

With the approval of adequate funds for aerial mapping that will cover the whole Gombe State (both inhabited and uninhabited areas) using high resolution remote sensing facilities, GOGIS will soon be partaking in the exploration of resources in the state. This will go a long way in wooing investors to Gombe state and eventually boost our economy.

As GOGIS continue to undertake “Operation Show Your Land Title Documents”, the operation aimed at sensitizing people on their duty as law-abiding citizens to pay their ground rent and other related taxes, the agency has succeeded in many fronts by mobilizing industries, banks, fuel stations and other commercial institutions to pay their dues. To lead by example, most at times this kind of operation is done by a team of professionals under the leadership of the DG himself. This singular task has helped Gombe State Government in broadening its revenue base to cope with the current economic realities.

The establishment of the Gombe State Special Development Zone has been one of the focal projects of Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s administration aimed at providing a well-planned layout with adequate social amenities for the establishment of institutions to consolidate investments in the state. GOGIS has been at the forefront in carrying out this task. From mapping, census of the existing structures to sensitization, the agency has been playing a pivotal role in making the project a reality.

Settling disputes is another aspect where GOGIS deserves recommendation. GOGIS corporate office receives numerous complaints on a daily basis regarding distortions of layouts and indiscriminate erection of structures. With prompt intervention from GOGIS, many community clashes and individual disputes have been averted.

With GOGIS under this workaholic Director-General, Dr Kabiru Usman Hassan, Gombe State is in sha Allah set to be the most convenient state to live in the country.

Adamu Umar Kumo writes from Gombe State.