Hundreds of property owners in the ancient city of Kano are gripped with fear as the state government has set a January 31, 2024, deadline for the recertification of properties.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, during the re-commissioning of the KANGIS building, officially flagged off the recertification exercise for all current Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) issued by the Kano State Government.

He also called on all residents to take advantage of this opportunity to either register or renew their interest in landed properties across the state.

In this regard, the state commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Abduljabar Muhammad Umar, while reinforcing the governor’s announcement, urged all individuals with an interest in land across the state to immediately proceed to his office to register their properties before the expiration date of January 31, 2024.

He explained, “As part of this transformation, all current C-of-Os will be rendered invalid at the expiration of this exercise on January 31, 2025.”

He reminded the public that, “In this administration’s efforts to provide an avenue for obtaining land documents affordably and seamlessly, as well as secure and strengthen land titles in the state, the latest state-of-the-art infrastructure has been provided at the Kano State Geographic Information System (KANGIS),” adding,

“This new system offers a host of critical benefits.”

Briefing newsmen on Wednesday, the commissioner noted that the new system is providing accurate and reliable records by eliminating manual processes, minimizing errors, manipulation of land files and titles, and delays in processing transactions. This will also make land ownership verification and updates more straightforward.

“I take this opportunity to call on all landowners across Kano State to promptly initiate the recertification of their titles before the expiration date. Failure to do so might risk the ownership of properties.”

He reiterated that this process guarantees that ownership records are accurate, secure, and protected from future disputes, thereby safeguarding the investments and aspirations of our people.