The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has announced the federal government’s intention to establish a National Land Commission aimed at enhancing land administration in Nigeria.
Speaking at the 28th Conference of Directors of Lands in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, Dangiwa emphasized the need to improve land-based revenue of the federating units in Nigeria through efficient and effective land administration.
Dangiwa highlighted that the commission, once established, would provide the necessary framework, guidelines, and regulations for operationalizing the Land Use Act of 1978, ultimately achieving efficient land administration in Nigeria.
Additionally, the Minister acknowledged the challenges impeding efficient land administration, pointing out that fundamental issues such as the Land Use Act 1978 would require legislative amendments and national government policy interventions.
“Currently we have a situation where the Land Use Act was enacted in 1978 but there was no complementary institution set up alongside it to provide the necessary framework, guidelines, and regulations for operationalizing it. We are working to establish a National Land Commission that would fix this gap and chart a new way forward for effective land administration in the country,”
the minister noted.
Dangiwa also stressed that the establishment of the National Land Commission would lead to improved land titling and enhance Nigeria’s ranking on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index. Currently, Nigeria ranks 186th out of 190 countries in terms of ease of registering properties and land reform strategy.
“The notable part of our broad housing sector reforms includes the implementation of comprehensive land reforms towards streamlining land administration and ensuring easy, cost-effective, and efficient access to land in our country,”
he added.
Furthermore, the Minister highlighted the adoption of the Model Mortgage Foreclosure Law (MMFL) as a crucial reform, designed to create an enabling environment for investment in real estate and the growth of mortgages in each state.
“It provides contemporary provisions on the creation, registration, and enforcement of mortgages, along with remedies like foreclosure and the enforcement of mortgages on real properties and related purposes in Nigeria,”
Dangiwa stated.
Moreover, he mentioned that the MMFL has been passed in four states, including Lagos, Kaduna, Ekiti, and Nasarawa, and encouraged Directors to collaborate with state governors to ensure its implementation nationwide.
Dangiwa emphasized the significance of land in generating revenue for the country, highlighting the potential to generate over 300 billion naira in capital land assets through proper harnessing.
He urged participants to examine interim measures, such as digitizing the land titling process, fostering synergy between public and private investors in housing delivery, and addressing the trend of double titling and multiple charges on Federal Government properties in the states, to improve land-based revenue in the tiers.
“At the end of your deliberations, it is hoped that you will come up with meaningful and workable solutions to most of the problems confronting land administration and management at the various tiers of Government,”
he urged.
“My charge to all of you attending this 2023 Conference is that we must think out of the box, innovate, and learn to do things differently. That will help us make progress and change the narrative going forward,”
he added.
The Governor of Lagos state, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Special Adviser on Housing, Hon. Barakat Bakare, highlighted the state government’s efforts in constructing about 20 million housing projects to reduce the housing deficit in the country.
The Director of Lands at the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, ESV Felix Appah, commended the ministry for its innovative land administration system and the strides made in revenue generation through land charges.
The Conference of Directors of Lands serves as an annual platform for Directors of Lands from the 36 states of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory, as well as key stakeholders, to converge and share ideas on policies for effective and efficient land administration beneficial to Nigeria and its citizens.
