The Federal Government has raised concerns over the alarming state of land documentation in Nigeria, revealing that less than 10% of the country’s land has been officially recorded in 140 years.
Speaking at the National Land Registration and Documentation Workshop in Abuja, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, highlighted the critical challenges in land governance, stating that over 90% of land remains unregistered. This, he noted, hinders landowners from leveraging their properties for economic development.
To address these issues, the government has announced a partnership with the private sector to accelerate land registration nationwide. Dangiwa outlined key strategies, including the launch of a national digital land information system to modernize land administration, increase formal land transactions, and train land registration officers.
The initiative aims to increase formal land transactions from 10% to over 50% within a decade. The World Bank has pledged support, with Senior Special Development Specialist Dr. Michael Ilesanmi reaffirming the institution’s commitment.
Dangiwa assured stakeholders that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is determined to drive these reforms while maintaining respect for state-level jurisdictions.