Design of a Digital Record Management System for Enugu State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development

Land administration in Nigerian states is frequently beset by challenges including missing title documents, fraudulent land transactions, slow file retrieval, and the absence of integrated digital records that could support transparent property ownership verification. The Enugu State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, which oversees land allocation, title documentation, and urban planning approvals, currently relies on a combination of physical files and limited digital archives that are insufficient for managing the volume and complexity of land transactions across the state. This study designed a digital record management system for the Enugu State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, providing a structured platform for the digitisation, storage, retrieval, and management of land title documents and urban development permits. The system was developed using PHP, MySQL, and a PDF document management module, with role-based access controls distinguishing between data entry officers, reviewing surveyors, and senior administrative officials. Optical character recognition (OCR) capabilities were incorporated to support the conversion of existing paper-based records into searchable digital formats. System evaluation confirmed fast record retrieval, accurate document versioning, and comprehensive audit trail generation for all record access and modification events. Staff participants in usability trials reported significantly reduced time spent locating files compared to the existing manual system. The study concluded that digitalising land records at the Enugu State Ministry of Lands would improve administrative efficiency, reduce document fraud, and enhance public confidence in property ownership systems.

Keywords: record management, land administration, Enugu State, digital archiving, title documentation