EASE OF DOING BUSINESS: OBTAINING COFO NOW TAKES ONLY 1 MONTH IN NASARAWA - GOV. SULE
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State says obtaining a land Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) in the state now takes one month, owing to reforms aimed at enhancing the ease of doing business.
Sule said this while speaking at a State Action on Business Enabling Reform (SABER) town hall meeting on Friday in Lafia.
The governor, represented by his Deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, maintained that the reforms initiated by his administration to create friendly environment for business and investments was yielding great results.
According to Sule, C of O is now obtainable within one month, and upon payment of required Right of Occupancy (R of O) fees and submission of application form.
He noted that in his first year in office, he signed more C of Os than were issued in the state since its creation in 1996.
The governor stated that his administration had since inception in 2019, prioritised making the state investment haven, through various initiatives.
According to him, some of the initiatives include the development of the Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy (NEDS) document, culminated in the establishment of the Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency (NASIDA).
NASIDA is a one-stop-shop agency that helps to guide investors willing to do business in the state.
Other initiatives included the revenue and taxes harmonisation legislation passed by the state assembly, the establishment of the Bureau of Public Procurement as well as the Bureau of Statistics in the state.
“Before SABER, Nasarawa State had already entrenched principles to make business establishment very easy for whoever is coming to invest in our state,” he said.
The governor expressed optimism that the town hall meeting would provide opportunity for adequate feedback from stakeholders to enable the state improve in order to have a perfect business environment.
In her remarks, Princess Zara Mustapha-Audu, Director-General, Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), described SABER as a transformative initiative that supports and incentivises reforms at the state level.
According to her, it aligns local efforts with the national goal of making Nigeria a more transparent, profitable, and easier place to do business.
She said that stakeholder engagement was designed to strengthen public sector capacity and capture feedback from private sector players; seen by PEBEC as the true engines of economic growth, job creation, and innovation.
“Reform is not a federal effort alone. States are the engines of local economic development, and their policies, infrastructure, and service delivery directly impact the ease of doing business in every community,” Audu emphasised.
Audu expressed optimism that the partnership with states would foster deeper collaboration, rebuild trust, and generate practical solutions tailored to each state’s unique business challenges.
“Together, let us build a business environment that works for local businesses, entrepreneurs, multinationals, foreign direct investors, and a future full of prosperity for all Nigerians,” she said.
Mr Louis Azige, Programme Manager for SABER in Nasarawa, revealed that the state had already implemented 15 reforms, covering areas like land and tax administration and digital infrastructure deployment.
He added that digital platforms had been launched to improve access to information and transparency in business-related services.
Azige said that the town hall meeting provided a platform for state officials and Reform Champions in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to interact with the business community and civil society organisation on business enabling reforms being implemented in the state.
He said it would offer an opportunity to get feedback on how to improve to enhance the business community.
Participants at the town hall, including Dr Nawani Aboki of Breeze FM Lafia, and Mr Obadiah Solomon-Ovey of Husk Power Systems, praised the state government’s efforts, but called for more publicity to ensure that businesses became aware of the ongoing reforms.
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