The Executive Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has signed an Executive Order establishing the Benue Geographic Information System (BENGIS) Agency.
Speaking during the signing which took place on Wednesday at Government House, Makurdi, Governor Alia tasked the agency on critical functions including the processing and issuance of land titles, general mapping for security, agriculture, research, and urban planning, as well as improve revenue generation for the state.
“I am quite pleased to append my signature on this very important document. In 2020 BENGIS was given a formal, legal name and authority to operate. We took a step further to isolate this establishment to become very dependent under my office since we came in.
“We have made the ministry of Land and Survey to be on her own so that she takes care of all the policies relating this.
“There is a lot of work that was not done that must be done. We want to know who lives in the state, where they live, on what street, what are they doing, how many establishments we have, what data are we assembling in the state?”
Governor Alia also mandated the agency to work closely with the Ministry of Lands and Survey to provide a unified and coordinated approach to land administration, mapping, and geographic data management across the state as according to him, land planning and records are essential for security and economic growth, charging them to bring innovation, transparency, and accountability to bear on how the state manages its land resources.
“Accurate land records and mapping are essential for planning, security, and economic growth. It is our hope that BENGIS will bring transparency, accountability, and innovation to how we manage our land resources.”
Earlier, the Director General, BENGIS, Prof. Daniel Amine while speaking on behalf of the staff of the agency, appreciated the Governor for trusting them with a huge responsibility and giving them the mandate to serve the state through BENGIS.
Other government officials who witnessed the signing of the Executive Order were the Principal Special Assistant (PSA) to the Governor on Legal Matters, Barr. Se-ember Wayo,
the Managing Director of Benue Digital Infrastructure Company (BDIC), Terwase Gbande, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Fidelis Unongo amongst others.
