Less than 10% of Nigerian land documented – Minister

The Federal Government has disclosed that less than 10 per cent of Nigerian lands were documented in 140 years.

Speaking at the Workshop on the National Land Registration and Documentation Programme in Abuja recently, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, highlighted the dire state of land documentation in Nigeria.

“Since the inception of formal land registration in Nigeria in 1883, the processes have been conducted under a non-compulsory sporadic system, which is slow, cumbersome, opaque, and expensive for the average landowner. It is no surprise, therefore, that less than 10 per cent of the entire land in our country is registered in 140 years,” he stated.

Dangiwa thereafter announced a partnership with the private sector to accelerate land registration and documentation across the country, addressing long-standing challenges in land governance.

He emphasised the need for systemic reforms, pointing out that over 90 per cent of land in Nigeria remains unregistered and untitled, rendering landowners unable to leverage their assets for economic growth.

“Experts estimate that this has resulted in dead capital exceeding $300bn. Addressing this issue is not just about administrative efficiency; it is a critical step toward economic transformation,” he said.

The minister outlined the government’s strategies, which include launching a national digital land information system to modernise land administration, increasing formal land transactions, and training land registration officers.

“We aim to register, document, and title all land parcels to unlock Nigeria’s dead capital, empowering landowners to utilise their assets for economic growth,” Dangiwa explained.

He also underscored the role of the private sector in the initiative, particularly through public-private partnerships, which he said would be key to mobilising resources and expertise for the programme.

“Digitised land administration presents significant investment opportunities, and we must identify successful PPP models that can be adapted to the Nigerian context,” he noted.

The World Bank has pledged its support for the initiative. Representing the World Bank Country Director, Dr Michael Ilesanmi, Senior Special Development Specialist, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to the programme.

“The National Land Registration and Documentation Programme aligns with the vision of the World Bank to eradicate poverty. We are proud to be partners of the government of Nigeria on a number of development initiatives. Indeed, this particular programme will help unlock the potential of the national and sub-national economies for investors,” he said.

Dangiwa stressed that the government is committed to ensuring uniformity in land administration while respecting state-level jurisdictions.

“Our role is to establish a uniform framework that enables states to build credible, efficient, and interoperable land titling and registration systems, fostering nationwide integration and functionality,” he stated.

The workshop also reviewed previous efforts to streamline land registration, including the work of the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reforms, which proposed systematic land titling and registration as a viable solution.

“There is industry-wide and global acceptance that it is the best and most proven method for titling, with adoption by several states already. What remains now is to have the National Council of State approve it,” the minister said.

The initiative is expected to increase formal land transactions from the current 10 per cent to over 50 per cent in the next decade, improve access to credit, and boost internally generated revenue for state governments.

Dangiwa assured stakeholders that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has the political will to drive the reforms.

“With the support of the World Bank, we are on the cusp of making history in Nigeria,” he added.