By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Oyo State Government has announced plans to launch a new digital system for building and survey plan approvals.
Williams Akin-Funmilayo, the Commissioner for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, disclosed this on Monday during a meeting with zonal directors of town planning offices across the state, held at the ministry’s conference room.
According to a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, Akin-Funmilayo described the new digital process as a significant step forward in urban management and infrastructural regulation.
He explained that the system is designed to eliminate the leakages and irregularities that manual operations previously allowed, adding that the digital building plan approval process would be both transparent and traceable.
“The new plan approval system would eradicate the traditional way of doing things; it is fully automated and equipped with security features, including a bar code that generates and validates every approved document.
“The period of inefficiency and compromise within the officials of town planning is over.
“The present administration would no longer tolerate excuses but good results that reflect the government’s investment in modernisation,” the commissioner said.
Akin-Funmilayo also urged task forces and enforcement units within the Physical Planning department to strengthen monitoring efforts and take decisive action against developers or individuals who violate planning regulations.
He reaffirmed that the administration is committed to protecting lives and property through strict adherence to planning laws and approved construction standards.
The commissioner assured residents that the new digital system would allow them to submit and process building approvals from anywhere in the world, save time, and eliminate the need for intermediaries or unofficial dealings.
He further appealed to all property owners to support the government by fully complying with the new system.