Only 3% of Nigeria’s landmass is registered – FG

Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, disclosed this recently in his keynote address delivered at the South-east Stakeholders’ Workshop on Land Reform held at the Universal Hotel, Enugu.Anyim, who was represented by Senator Ben Collins Ndu, said as a result of the sad development, Nigeria has continued to be […]

Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, disclosed this recently in his keynote address delivered at the South-east Stakeholders’ Workshop on Land Reform held at the Universal Hotel, Enugu.
Anyim, who was represented by Senator Ben Collins Ndu, said as a result of the sad development, Nigeria has continued to be rated poorly among the comity of nations with regard to the speed and efficiency in the processes and procedures for land governance, adding that the consequence was that the land resources in Nigeria have not been put to optimal economic advantage.
According to him, it was hoped that appropriate titling and registration of parcels of land shall enable holders to harness the wealth inherent in their land asset and expressed happiness that the pilot systematic land titling and registration (SLTR) projects already embarked upon by the Land Reform Committee in collaboration with Ondo and Kano states government were yielding results.
He said it was also commendable that international development partners like Growth and Empowerment in States (GEMS3) which was funded by DFID have supported the projects in these states and embarked on similar projects in a few others.
He said: “The pilot projects have proved that land titling could be transparent and quick. The process of recording every parcel in the presence of adjoining owners is also expected to significantly reduce litigations. We are expecting that the first set of Certificates of Occupancy shall soon be rolled out from the pilot projects. The comprehensive inventory of land holdings across the country that would be generated from the ongoing titling projects shall also aid housing census and provide data for planning.
“It is pertinent to state that the greatest beneficiaries of the land reform programme are the states and local governments. Though the reform process was initiated, supported and encouraged by the federal government, the title documents arising from the projects shall be issued by the state government and records domiciled in the individual state land registry. The revenue arising from the process shall also accrue to the to the respective states.”