Nusron Wahid: Should God's House Not Be Certified?

JAKARTA - The Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), Nusron Wahid, has called for the acceleration of waqf land certification in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), where only 7,063 plots have been certified to date.

“I have gathered you all to invite cooperation in resolving the waqf land certification issue. Why? We are ashamed; our own homes are certified, yet God’s house is not,” Nusron stressed.

Nusron emphasised that waqf land certification is crucial to protect religious assets from potential conflicts, especially as the economic value of land increases.

“We are concerned that conflicts may arise. When the value is still low, there may be no issues, but once the value rises, particularly in strategic areas like Mandalika, the potential for conflict emerges due to the significant economic value,” he explained.

According to data from the Ministry of ATR/BPN, the total waqf land in NTB amounts to around 14,000 plots.

Of this number, only 7,063 plots, or about 50.2 percent, have been certified.

This includes 698 pesantren plots (302 certified), 1,004 school plots (360 certified), and 1,098 other social facility plots (995 certified).

To expedite progress, Nusron targets completing the waqf land certification in NTB within one year.

He also requested the NTB Provincial Land Office (Kanwil BPN) to form a special task force and strengthen cooperation through memoranda of understanding (MoU) and thematic Real Work Lectures (KKN) programmes with Islamic universities in NTB.

“Make an MoU with UNU, UIN, or Muhammadiyah University for Thematic KKN to handle waqf certificates for mosques and prayer rooms, and it will all be sorted,” he concluded.