The Ogun State Government has called on property owners in the state to apply for their building permits online, as it reviews the Home Owner Charter exercise.
This was confirmed by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olatunji Odunlami, on Tuesday, when he announced the building permit registration.
The Commissioner explained that though the Home Owner Charter, which allowed building owners to regularise their documents after they had built their structures, is a good programme, it however has some issues.
Some of these issues, according to him, are inconsistencies and chaos that surrounded the exercise, as he said that these would need to be reviewed before the present government could adopt it.
The commissioner said online registration was one of the major reforms embarked upon by the Dapo Abiodun-led administration in the urban development sector.
He said, “The Home Owner charter was a programme that encouraged people who have erected illegal buildings to regularise the illegality.
“It also gave comfort to the owners, and government was able to raise revenue.
“But, from a very important third point, which is improving the living space, it didn’t achieve that. We are talking about slum development. They are still there.
“So, we have to introduce some order into the chaos before giving people legitimacy.”
The Home Owner exercise was introduced by the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
Why it matters
The online registration was to forestall multiplicity of charges, revenue leakage and removal of all the existing bottlenecks hampering prompt access to building permits.
