The federal government of Nigeria has given all holders of federal Certificates-of-Occupancy (C of O) titles a sixty-day notice period to settle any outstanding debts or risk having their land titles revoked. The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, made this announcement during the 29th Conference of Directors of Lands in Abuja. Non-compliance has resulted in a substantial loss of revenue, totalling trillions of naira, Dangiwa emphasised. He also underlined how difficult it is for ministry employees to enforce penalties or collect payments because of land associations.
Under the theme “Equitable Land Stewardship: Challenges of Land Administration and its Impact on Climate Change and Community Rights,” the conference covered important topics like corruption, ineffective dispute resolution, and land governance. Dangiwa talked on the difficulties of titling land, the intricacies of land laws, and the fact that landowners cannot use their land as financial assets since they do not have official titles. Since 90% of Nigeria’s land is still unregistered, representing $300 billion in potential capital, the ministry is working with the World Bank to address land registration difficulties.
Legal procedures around land revocation may be complicated.
Affected parties have responded differently to the Nigerian federal government’s 60-day ultimatum to land title holders. Many land title holders, especially those in metropolitan areas, contend that, considering the financial hardships that many Nigerians endure, the government has not sufficiently explained the payment requirements or given them enough time to pay off their obligations. While some title holders believe that the revocation of their Certificates of Occupancy will result in their being displaced or losing valued property, others consider this action as a long-overdue enforcement of long-ignored land rules.
Nigeria’s complicated land tenure structure has drawn criticism from land administration experts. The legal procedure around land revocation may be complicated, they observe, even though enforcing payments is crucial for increasing government revenue. If title holders in Nigeria don’t fulfil their statutory duties, such paying ground rent, the government can cancel their C of O’s. But since many title holders might oppose the revocation in court, there will probably be legal issues, which could cause delays. The government’s enforcement strategy also includes issuing legal notifications, seizing properties, and potentially auctioning off the land of defaulters in order to recoup debts.
Increased land conflicts could cause societal instability.
Also, Nigeria has a very difficult land administration system when compared to other African nations. Land registration changes have been more successful in nations like Ethiopia and Rwanda. For instance, Rwanda’s program to regularise land tenure, which started in 2009, has registered more than 10 million pieces of land, lowering conflict and promoting economic growth. On the other hand, Nigeria’s 1978 Land Use Act continues to present major obstacles to effective land management. Since the Act gives state governors authority over all land, getting official land titles is a time-consuming and costly process.
There could be disastrous consequences if Nigeria’s land administration issues are not resolved. Economic Growth will be hindered by rural and urban landowners’ continued exclusion from credit availability due to improper land titling and registration. Increased land conflicts could cause societal instability and cause development initiatives to be delayed. Furthermore, as Nigeria deals with more environmental problems like flooding and desertification, poor land management may make the effects of climate change worse for local populations. The government’s capacity to Finance social programs and vital Infrastructure may be further hampered if land-based income are not collected, creating a major vacuum in national development initiatives.
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Approximately 90% of Nigeria’s land is unregistered, according to World Bank estimates based on actual data. This amounts to about $300 billion in “dead capital,” or land that cannot be used as Security for loans or other business ventures. Furthermore, according to the Ministry of Housing, the government has lost trillions of Naira in Revenue as a result of noncompliance with statutory land payments. Nigeria’s 2023 budget was ₦21.83 trillion, or roughly $47 billion, to put this into perspective. This means that the uncollected land revenues might have a big impact on the country’s spending choices.