The head of the Edo State Geographic Information Service (EdoGIS), Dr. Tony Ikpasaja, has come clean about the fact that his government took over 7,500 certificate of occupancy applications that were supposedly left unattended by consultants hired by Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration.
In an audience with the executive of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, in Benin City, Dr. Ikpasaja allegedly made the accusation, according to Naijatrial.
He stated that over 7,500 files had been submitted but not yet processed. These files belonged to individuals who wanted to have their land recorded and stored in the EdoGIS database.
They seemed to have abandoned the data there. All told, there were over 7,500 unattended application files. After paying for registration, citizens would merely abandon their files. Perhaps individuals in whom they had personal interests were the only ones they were addressing.
The processing of the 7,500 applications is nearly complete. These are the unfinished business that the previous administration left behind.
Now that we’re back to the backlog of things, we can’t stop attempting to restore the system. Gradually, we were reestablishing. I can tell you right now that we’ve hit a really comfortable spot,” he stated.
Under Dr. Ikpasaja’s administration, more than nine thousand certificates of occupancy have been recorded and are now available for collection in just over two months since he took office.
He reassured the 7,500 applicants that their certificates will be ready shortly, saying that the agency was working on both the 9,000 applications that had already handled and the pending ones.
He noted that the new software recently introduced by the management had enabled the agency to register over 9,000 certifications within two months—far above the 1,000 registered by the previous government between 2023 and February 2025.
The head of EdoGIS recalled how, upon taking over, the consultants who had been in charge of operations had abruptly turned off the system, leading to the deletion of many records, including those containing the contact details of applicants.
We just obtained new equipment and decommissioned the old ones because they are not relevant for today’s job. This was done under the existing administration. In order to boost output, we invested in new, more advanced machinery. Our employees are completely occupied, enthusiastic, and on the job.
Aside from generating more, we have been issuing certificates of occupancy, and I would like to take this occasion to notify you and the people of the state of that.
We kindly ask those who have applied for their certificates to be patient as they have not yet gotten them. We promise them that their credentials will be delivered. Requests are being handled in a timely manner.
We lost all application contact information when the consultants departed and disabled our system. Neither of us could get in touch with the other. However, that is now fixed. The phone lines are now operational, and we can communicate with others. The public will soon be allowed to use the lines.
From a technological standpoint, we encountered data that was both poorly organized and unprofessionally handled; as a result, we had to undergo extensive restructuring in order to effectively manage the data and incorporate it into the new system.
To make sure we couldn’t handle anything without them, they erased as much data as they could. Thanks be to God, we were able to retrieve and upload all of that data back into the system.
“We pick up right where we left off. Rest assured, your information was not lost, and we will ensure that you receive your certificates. He assured everyone who had applied that their information is being processed and that they will be able to receive a response soon.
According to Naijatrial, the Assets Verification Committee, which is headed by Dr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, has claims that the government of Godwin Obaseki issued 22 information and communication technology contracts totaling N22 billion during his immediate administration. The e-government platforms in Edo were allegedly controlled by non-state actors, according to Umakhihe.
The committee went on to say that the Obaseki administration paid N5.7 billion to disengaged consultants so they may use the government’s online portal.