Plateau Blocks Revenue Leakages In Land Sector, Commissioner Admits Lingering Challenges

Timothy Alamba Madu

The Plateau State Ministry of Lands, Survey and Town Planning says it has significantly boosted its internally generated revenue (IGR) by closing leakages and strengthening internal controls, even as the Commissioner, Barr. Peter Nyam Gai, admitted that some challenges still confront the ministry.

Gai disclosed this on Wednesday in Jos while briefing journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat on the achievements of the ministry under Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang’s administration, three years after assuming office.

He said the ministry’s Finance and Accounts Department had recorded improvements through the mandatory attachment of original receipts and multiple verification processes, which he said had strengthened accountability and transparency in the ministry’s revenue operations.

According to the commissioner, the ministry had also been able to effectively channel internally generated revenue into funding key expenditures, supported by automation and digitisation of processes as well as enhanced monitoring and compliance systems.

He said the gains in revenue and accountability were further reinforced by the activities of the ministry’s Mediation Unit, which he described as a speedy and cost-effective mechanism for resolving land-related disputes without resorting to litigation, while also preserving relationships between disputing parties.

Gai, however, listed outstanding challenges still confronting the ministry to include a shortage of professional and technical staff, inadequate energy backup systems, frequent server downtime, obsolete equipment and insufficient operational funding.

He added that the ministry still required a full upgrade of its Geographic Information System (GIS) platform and additional logistics support for field operations, stressing the need for continuous staff training and capacity development.

The commissioner said that despite the remaining gaps, the reforms recorded so far had increased public confidence in the ministry’s service delivery, and called for sustained investment in manpower, technology, infrastructure and logistics to consolidate the gains made.

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