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Over 90% of Nigerian lands unregistered, says Minister
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has said over 90 per cent of land in Nigeria remains unregistered.
He said this has resulted to over 300 billion dollars loss due to longstanding land registration challenges.
Dangiwa disclosed this on Tuesday at the National Land Registration and Documentation Programme (NLRDP), a National Workshop, organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in Abuja.
He said that since the inception of formal land registration in Nigeria in 1883, the processes have been conducted under a non-compulsory sporadic system.
“This process was slow, cumbersome, opaque and expensive for the average landowner.
“It is not surprising that less than 10 per cent of the entire land in the country was registered in 140 years,’’ he said.
According to him, this has made it impossible for landowners to leverage their assets for economic purposes.
“Nigeria has faced longstanding challenges in land governance including: lack of a systematic, credible, and uncontested framework to identify property ownership, interests, and locations.
“The cumbersome and inefficient property registration process has resulted in less than 10 per cent of land in Nigeria been registered under the current sporadic system.
“Other challenges include the absence of authoritative data to support effective land administration, limited access to available land records, the existence of the Land Use Act of 1978 (now Cap 2004).
“This was without the necessary regulations to facilitate its implementation,’’ he said.
Dangiwa added that the absence of a national institution to advise the Council of State, which was empowered to make regulations for the Act.
He said inadequate data and information for effective land valuation in both urban and rural areas was also a major challenge.
Dangiwa said addressing this issue was not just about administrative efficiency but a critical step towards economic transformation.
According to him, this workshop marks a significant step in the current administration’s efforts to implement long-overdue reforms.
He said that these reforms were essential to unlocking the immense potential of Nigeria’s landed assets for economic growth, wealth creation, poverty reduction, capital accumulation, and national development.
This, he said, could be through the National Land Registration, Documentation, and Titling Programme.
He said the ministry planned to develop and inaugurate a National Digital Land Information System (NDLIS) to modernise land administration.
According to him, this will centralise and digitise land records, reducing bureaucracy and corruption in land transactions.
Dangiwa added that the ministry sought to increase the formalisation of land transactions from less than 10 per cent to over 50 per cent in the next 10 years
He said the ministry remained committed to expanding the formal economy, enhancing the capacity to track and regulate land markets, and improving access to credit for citizens and businesses.
Sen. Aminu Tambuwal, Chairman, Senate Committee on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, said land was one of the most critical assets of any nation.
According toTambuwal, Nigeria continues to face persistent hurdles in land administration and accreditation, including bureaucratic inefficiencies, lack of transparency, and recurring disputes.
He reiterated the Senate Committee’s commitment to providing robust legislative support to ensure the success of the programme.
”These include: strengthening land administration frameworks, conducting oversight to ensure accountability, providing sustainable funding for critical initiatives, and collaborating with state assemblies to harmonise land-related centres,” he said.
Also speaking, Ademorin Kuye, Chairman, House Committee on Public Assets, said Nigeria’s land assets were unaccounted for and the economic implication was that undocumented land could not serve as collateral for loans and investment.
”Poorly governed land leads to illegal encroachment, deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices.
“The legal challenges are the ambiguities in land titles which force endless litigation, draining resources, and undermining trust in our judicial system.
“It is against this background that this land registration and documentation programme emerges as a beacon of hope, a bold step towards addressing these systemic challenges through innovation, collaboration, and digitisation.”
Also speaking, Dr Ndiamé Diop, the World Bank’s Country Director, who was represented by Dr Michael Ilesanmi, said the National Land Registration and Documentation Programme aligned with the vision of the World Bank to eradicate poverty.
“We are proud to partner with the Government of Nigeria on a number of development initiatives; this particular programme will help unlock the potential of the nation at national and sub-national level for investors.”(NAN)
By Tambaya Julius, Abuja
According to media reports, Adewole Adebayo, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has reiterated that political parties serve as public institutions where membership is open to all, much like places of worship such as churches and mosques.
His remarks come in response to the recent political shift involving former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, who left the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the SDP. Adebayo clarified that while political parties welcome new members, joining a party does not automatically entitle anyone to leadership role.
In a Thursday interview, Adebayo underscored that simply affiliating with a political party does not grant individuals instant leadership positions. He drew a comparison with religious congregations, where people are free to worship but do not automatically assume leadership roles. This analogy, he argued, applies equally to political settings, where commitment, contribution, and discipline determine leadership opportunities.
Adebayo also cautioned against internal conflicts and unnecessary distractions within the party, warning that such divisions could be exploited by political opponents. He emphasised that opposition parties aiming to challenge incumbents must uphold a higher standard of discipline and unity.
Encouraging party members to prioritise collective goals over personal interests, he advised against engaging in disputes that divert focus from governance. He further stated that internal strife weakens the party’s credibility, making it easier for the ruling party to maintain dominance.
The SDP candidate urged members to refrain from using the party as a platform for settling personal scores, referencing disputes with political figures such as Bola Tinubu. While individual members may have disagreements with prominent politicians, Adebayo stressed that the party itself should remain focused on governance rather than personal rivalries.
He highlighted the importance of maintaining a clear vision, free from ego and distractions, stating, “When you join a political party, leave your ego, ambitions, and personal grievances at the door.” His call for unity reinforces the idea that an effective opposition must focus on policies and national issues rather than internal disputes.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has announced that all full-time Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates will now be mobilised for the National Youth Service (NYSC).
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Folasade Boriowo.
Boriowo quoted Alausa as saying that after discussions with the Director-General of NYSC, only full-time HND graduates were eligible and could thereafter proceed with their mobilisation.
This development, he said, marked a major breakthrough for full-time HND graduates who were previously excluded from the NYSC programme.
According to him, it underscores the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to equity, fairness, and inclusivity in the nation’s education system.
“However, those who did HND part-time are not eligible for mobilisation at all.
“To facilitate a seamless mobilisation process, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has been directed to expedite the collation of data for eligible HND graduates.
“In line with this, a circular has been sent to all Rectors of Polytechnics, instructing them to upload the necessary graduate data onto the newly created HND admission portal,” he said.
Alausa emphasised that NYSC mobilisation was strictly for those who completed a full-time HND programme.
He stressed that only full-time HND graduates would be mobilised, while those who did HND part-time remained ineligible.
He further disclosed that the newly created portal would ensure proper documentation of full-time HND graduates.
He added that this would also serve as the official database for NYSC mobilisation, addressing past challenges related to admission records.
The minister urged all eligible full-time HND graduates to take full advantage of this opportunity and proceed with their mobilisation without delay.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering equal opportunities for all qualified Nigerian graduates and ensuring their contributions to national development through the NYSC scheme. (NAN)
The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) on Thursday advocated true autonomy for Local Governments(LGs), saying it will help in managing and solving security challenges facing the country.
Former ALGON President and member of Board of Trustees (BOT), Hon. Ibrahim Dasuki, said this at a news conference, organised shortly after an emergency meeting of the Executive Council, Board of Trustees (BOT) and past Presidents of ALGON in Abuja.
Dasuki said the local governments and traditional institutions have a key role to play in security matters as the security challenges were mostly happened at local government levels.
“If you look at the security challenges we are facing in Nigeria, virtually in every zone are local in nature, it does not happen in the city, be it insurgency, banditry and others are mostly happened at local government levels.
“Why is it so, it is because of the failure of the local government system. If you could look back to the history, our local governments played key roles in ensuring peace and security especially the responsibilities given to traditional institutions.
“Over times, there were reforms, especially in 1976. In the north, we had a native authority, and Emir was a leader then. Whoever comes to town and city, he must be registered, he must be known.”
Dasuki recalled that due to the reforms, the government split the native authority with the emirate system.
He said this created a vacuum in terms of checkmating who goes in and out, resulting to missing link in the operation of local governments.
According to him, unless and until we go back and look at the older system, the security challenges bedeviling the country will be found difficult to address.
“You can deploy number of security personnel, and use whatever weapons, but so long as you don’t have structure, you can have some achievements in the short term but it cannot be sustained, you will see reemergence again.
“I will like to call on the government to look at the local government’s role in security matters.
“It is imperative because despite the fact that there is security committee comprising all the security agencies, we have to incorporate traditional institutions to the system so that they play a key role in solving security challenges.”
He also commended the Supreme Court judgment on LGs financial autonomy currently implemented by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“We have happy that things have started to change with the Supreme Court judgment because the Supreme court has not left any stone unturned regarding the proper administration of local government.
“It (judgment) talks about the financial autonomy, administrative autonomy and political autonomy. The financial autonomy had been granted long time ago through signing of Executive Order by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“President Bola Tinubu is currently implementing the Supreme Court judgment on the financial autonomy, and also administrative autonomy.
“The political aspect is also being done by the National Assembly as the NASS lawmakers were directed to look at those key areas so that true autonomy of local government can be achieved.
“So, if that can be done and achieved over a period of time, I believe that some of the security challenges we are seeing can be managed and probably resolved in due time,” he said
Also speaking, Hon. Odunayo Ategbero, BOT Chairman of ALGON, commended the Implementation Committee on LGs Financial Autonomy for making a laudable progress in spite of its challenges.
Ategbero said, “Our focus of discussion remains the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024 which granted the financial autonomy to the local governments in Nigeria.
“We are aware that the Federal Government has set up an implementation committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”
According to him, this implementation committee has commenced its implemention. So, we want to report that so far so good we are impressed in the way they are handling the implementation.
“In spite of bottlenecks, I want to believe that they are making progress. There are pressure on this committee not to implement the Supreme Court judgment based on sentiment and personal issue but the committee is patriotic by resisting these pressure that are mounting.
“Steady progress is being made because they have actually instructed the local governments across the country to go and open account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) so that there will be seamless implementation of getting allocation directly.
“So, we need to commend them because if they have yielded to pressure, there would not have been made such a progress.
“They asked local governments to go and open accounts at the CBN. And it is only when the accounts open at CBN, the money can transfer to that accounts for local governments to do grassroots projects.” (NAN)