Zamfara State Government has awarded a contract for the Gusau Master Plan, a comprehensive development blueprint to guide the capital city’s expansion over the next 20 years.
The plan covers major road networks, population growth projections, hospitals, schools, government offices, and security facilities.
The Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Ibrahim Nasiru Zurmi, disclosed this in an interview with Radio Nigeria in Gusau, the Zamfara State Capital.
According to him, the project scope extends beyond Gusau to include Bungudu due to overlapping boundaries as well as Tsafe Local Government Area.
Alhaji Ibrahim Zurmi explained that, in the spirit of fairness and balanced development, the planning process has also been expanded to Talata Mafara and Kaura Namoda Local governments.
He added that, the government is committed to ensuring that every Local Government Area benefits from the new development framework.
The commissioner noted that the state government has intensified efforts to resolve all forms of land disputes and strengthen urban development in the Zamfara.
He stated that, many of the challenges in land administration arise from violations of government-approved layouts, often involving ministry staff both serving and retired.
Alhaji Ibrahim Zurmi further announced that, the ministry has introduced new measures to curb document forgery by issuing only original land documents, including Letters of Grant and Certificates of Occupancy, produced through the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting to prevent counterfeiting.
He identified “awan igiya,” the illegal sale of land by agents without genuine documents, as one of the major challenges confronting the sector.
To address this, the ministry plans to integrate all land agents into a centralized system under ZAGIS, where each agent will be registered and issued an identification number. This, he said, will make it easier to sanction any agent involved in fraudulent activities.
Zurmi also revealed that only government-approved agreement forms with a standardized format will be recognized going forward, stressing the ministry’s commitment to ending land-related fraud and irregularities.
He advised landowners especially those seeking to develop farmland to visit the Town Planning Department for proper layout design, plot numbering, and access road planning.
He added that public sensitization efforts are ongoing to educate residents on the importance of complying with building regulations.
AMINU DALHATU
