Ogun State Government has set up a Technical Working Group on Construction Permit to streamline the regulatory process and timely registration for investors to improve the State’s rating on the World Bank sub-national index on the ease of doing business.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tpl Olatunji Odunlami who is also the Chairman of Technical Working Group on Construction Permit, disclosed this at a meeting with other members of the committee in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Odunlami said the committee had been set up by the State Government to eliminate administrative bottlenecks that discouraged private sector investors, adding that the issue of construction permit was critical to the improvement of ‘ease of doing business’.
He added that a lot of restructuring and unbundling of the State’s Urban and Regional Planning Board was also part of the government effort to reduce and assist the committee in the reform, noting that it would fast-track the approval processes for the construction permit.
In her remarks, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Tpl Yetunde Dina, urged the committee to come up with ideas on ways the State could compete favorably with other States in the World Bank’s rating.
Contributing, Head of the Technical Working Group on construction permit, TPL Rufus Talabi reaffirmed that the length of days to obtain a permit has been reduced from 14days to 5days for simple applications, while major applications has been reduced from 21days to 14days.
In his submission, the Secretary, Ogun State Business Environment Council/ Project Coordinator, Emmanuel Adeleke advised the committee members to make necessary input at improving the State’s ranking from 4th to 1st position, to compete with its counterparts in the country.
The Working Committee comprises members from Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Ministry of Environment, Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, Ogun State Property Investment Corporation, Housing Corporation, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Ogun State Fire Services, Bureau of ICT and Bureau of Public Procurement.