Over time and with quiet observation, I have come to understand that land administration in Oyo State, and Nigeria by extension, is one of the most deceptively complex and quietly consequential issues of our governance architecture. It didn’t dawn on me suddenly. It revealed itself in pieces, like dusty files pulled from forgotten shelves. I have been visiting the Oyo State Ministry of Lands for as long as I can remember.
I was just a child in 1999, maybe 2000, running around the office of Mama Obileye when she was Permanent Secretary. Bless her heart. I adore her candor and personality so much. I recall the firm grace of Mrs. Ruth Adebisi, the calm presence of Barrister David Oladele. I didn’t know much about Engr. Oluseye Laoye (J.P.)’s regime because it was Uni era, but I do know my father took over from him as Permanent Secretary—and eventually retired from that very seat.
Watching him work, listening to the conversations at the dinner table, hearing the tension in his voice on long calls with surveyors or landowners, those moments gave me a front-row seat into the emotional and institutional struggles buried beneath every plot of land. It is always a struggle of land, legacy, and lost opportunities. In a place like Oyo State, where the earth bears the footsteps of generations past, land is not just property. It is identity, heritage, and sometimes, the only inheritance that matters. That’s what makes it so quietly potent, and so painfully political. It is why disputes simmer under the surface and can erupt without warning. And yet, in this same land, farmers till the soil they don’t legally own, families build homes on insecure titles, and boundary lines are drawn and redrawn in conflict. I have heard these stories all my life and I have seen some with my own eyes.
Often than not, I have asked questions. Why are things the way they are? We often point fingers at the Land Use Act of 1978, but the real challenge may not be the law itself. I suspect that it is how we have chosen to administer it. To put it mildly, our land administration system is archaic. Piles of paper, dusty files, and manual processes dominate a system that should be the backbone of our development.
At its core, the Land Use Act vests all land in each state in the hands of the Governor, to be held in trust for the benefit of the people. It was meant to streamline ownership, prevent land speculation and unify a fragmented system. In practice, however, it has created an overwhelming administrative burden for the Governor, the Honourable Commissioner for Lands, and the Permanent Secretary in the Lands Ministry. It has become a system that fails the very people it’s meant to serve.
From having to manually sign Certificates of Occupancy to adjudicating disputes and overseeing allocations, these public officers carry the weight of a system built for a different era. Much of their work still depends on manual records, outdated charts, and physical files. Nowhere is this more evident than in the charting room where officers trace land boundaries with pencils and rulers, cross-referencing survey plans on yellowing paper. In such a system, the risk of error is high, and the opportunities for manipulation even higher
But this is precisely where Legal Tech can make a difference.
Legal Tech, as applied to land administration, encompasses a suite of digital tools: blockchain, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), artificial intelligence, mobile platforms, and smart contracts that can radically improve how land is managed, documented, and regulated.
As the pace setter state, Oyo State can lead the way.
The first step is digitisation. Every Certificate of Occupancy, survey plan, gazette, and deed of assignment must be scanned, indexed, and securely stored in the cloud. With a proper digital land registry, citizens can search, trace, and verify the history of any parcel of land in the state. This would eliminate the loss or duplication of records and strengthen the legal certainty of land titles.
Blockchain technology can further secure the registry, ensuring that records are tamper-proof. A blockchain-based system allows for the creation of a digital ledger where each transaction; whether allocation, sale, or inheritance is permanently recorded and easily verifiable. This would end the era of forged titles and multiple allocations.
Smart contracts, too, have a role to play. These are self-executing agreements that trigger once predefined conditions are met. For instance, land purchase payments and title transfers can be automatically completed once verification steps are confirmed. This removes intermediaries and reduces the likelihood of fraud.
Legal Tech also provides an opportunity to address a persistent menace: omo onile. These land touts operate in the vacuum of ambiguous land records. But once land ownership is transparent, legally verified, and publicly searchable, their extortion tactics lose power. With robust legal backing and digital traceability, developers and homeowners can reclaim peace of mind.
Perhaps the most overlooked benefit of Legal Tech in land administration is its power to safeguard farmland and protect the livelihoods of farmers, particularly in Oyo State’s peri-urban and rural communities.
Across the state, from Oke-Ogun to Ibarapa, farmers are increasingly under threat. As cities expand, farmlands are being encroached upon sometimes legally, often illegally. In many cases, land that has been farmed for generations is suddenly reclassified, resold, or invaded. Without formal documentation or statutory rights, these farmers are left vulnerable, often evicted without notice or compensation.
Legal Tech can change this.
With a comprehensive digital land registry, farmlands can be properly mapped, titled, and protected. Every farmer’s parcel can be documented with GPS coordinates, linked to a verifiable digital profile, and issued a certificate of occupancy or statutory right of use. These records can be publicly accessible and legally enforceable.
Moreover, land-use zoning laws can be codified into digital platforms and linked to GIS mapping systems. This will help prevent the arbitrary conversion of agricultural land to residential or commercial use. Land designated for farming will remain farming land unless formally reclassified through transparent administrative processes.
Real-time satellite imagery and GIS can also detect illegal encroachment, unauthorized structures, and environmental violations. Enforcement agencies can be digitally alerted when new developments occur on protected farmland, triggering swift interventions.
This kind of system would give farmers confidence to invest in their land, expand their operations, and access credit using secure land titles. It would reduce rural-urban migration, promote food security, and protect our agrarian heritage.
In a time when Nigeria faces growing food insecurity and climate vulnerability, safeguarding farmland is not just a legal imperative. It is a national emergency.
Legal Tech also supports regulatory compliance. With drone imagery and AI-enabled GIS tools, the Bureau of Physical Planning & Development Control Unit can monitor land use in real-time. Zoning laws, building codes, and environmental regulations can be digitally enforced. Unauthorized developments can be flagged early, and contraventions corrected before they become a crisis.
These reforms would also reduce the workload on public officials. Dashboards and case management systems can track applications, flag anomalies, and automate non-sensitive processes. The Commissioner and Permanent Secretary can focus on policy, oversight, and public engagement, not just paperwork.
Of course, there are challenges: technical capacity, funding, resistance from vested interests but these are surmountable. What is required is vision, inter-agency collaboration, and strategic partnerships with Legal Tech providers, civil society, and professional bodies.
Oyo State already leads in education, culture, and agriculture. It can now lead the nation in land governance reform. The state can lay the foundation for secure land rights, transparent transactions, and inclusive growth, especially for its farmers.
The land and heritage may belong to the people. But it is our responsibility to build the systems that serve and protect them. Let’s not fail it.
