Wike introduces sweeping reforms

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has introduced sweeping reforms in land administration, aiming to enhance efficiency and transparency.

The reforms, which will become operational from April 21, 2025, cover specific areas such as conditions of grant of Statutory Right of Occupancy, contents of the Statutory Right of Occupancy Bill, and titling of Mass Housing and sectional interests.

According to a statement by the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, and the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the reforms are designed to address issues of unapproved land allocations, land speculation, and revenue generation.

The FCT Administration has developed a new operational framework to fast-track the titling process for Mass Housing and Sectional Interests. This move is expected to enable beneficiaries to obtain titles, promoting security of tenure and facilitating access to government services.

Under the new reforms, land allottees will have a maximum of two years to develop their allocated lands. Failure to do so may result in the revocation of the land grant. Additionally, land allottees will have 21 days to make full payment of all bills, fees, rents, and charges prescribed on offers of Statutory Rights of Occupancy. Late payments will be considered invalid.

The reforms also aim to regularise Area Council land allocations, with all land documents issued by Area Councils to be considered for regularisation to statutory titles. This move is expected to promote transparency and efficiency in land administration.

The FCT Minister’s initiatives have shown significant progress, with 5,481 Certificates of Occupancy signed in  and surpassing the annual average issued over the past 13 years. The reforms are part of the FCT Administration’s efforts to improve land management, reduce speculation, and increase revenue generation.