Only 3 percent of Nigerians have valid land titles says Speaker Abbas

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen has said that many Nigerians parading land ownership lacked the required legal title to lay claim to such land across the country.

The Speaker said only three percent of land owners in the country have valid legal title to their land, hinging the delay in obtaining such titles to lack of awareness, corruption and the slow process involved.

The Speaker spoke at the opening of a three National Land Conference organised by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in collaboration with Johnbull Amayaevbo foundation

Represented by a member of the House, Hon. Cyril Hart, the Speaker said that available reviews suggest that 60 percent of civil cases in Nigerians courts are land related, while a whopping 70 percent or the world population lack legally registered title to their land.

The Speaker said “In terms of land registration, the poor outlook of global land titling also reflects on the situation in Nigeria.

“The World Bank has reported that about 70 per cent of the world’s population lacks a legally registered title to their land. Nigeria has a land size of 923,000 sq.km, but only 3 percent of this land is registered and titled in Nigeria.

“This implies that most small landholders in Nigeria lack secured title, symbolized by the Certificate of Occupancy. Without secured land title, they lack the ability to secure bank credit for agricultural activities due to a lack of collateral.

“Additionally, other challenges that stifle land registration in Nigeria include the high cost of registration, the long duration of registration, corruption, documentation irregularities, people’s lack of awareness of the necessity for land registration, and the sporadic nature of registration”.

He said further that “insecure land right has been identified as a major contributor to global poverty, inequality, political instability and disputes over land ownership”.

He said further that records from the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies suggest that about 65 percent of civil cases in Nigeria, relate to land disputes; bordering on ownership claims, encroachment, inheritance issues and land grabbing, saying all these, have negative impact on Nigeria’s long term economic prosperity.

He said “as the nation strives for accelerated development, it is now even more urgent and compelling to consider the most appropriate approaches to land registration and ting Nigeria

Speaker Abbas said the conference underscores the strategic importance of land as a critical means of production and an invaluable asset for sustainable economic growth and development.

He stressed the need to reform land governance in Nigeria is in line with the broader objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that nearly all the critical components of the agenda are land-based.

He said “For instance, boosting agricultural production,addressing poverty, unlocking natural resources for economic diversification, infrastructural development and strengthening national security cannot be optimally realised
without addressing the challenges inherent in the existing system of land administration in Nigeria”.

Speaker Abbas said further that “as far as land governance is concerned, there are three central areas deserving serious attention. These are land registration and titling, valuation mechanisms and the fair and sustainable implementation of the Land Use Act,1978.

“On land valuation, there is clearly lack of standardized mechanisms for determining the economic value of land, which is critical for taxation, compensation and other land administration processes.

“Land is a huge revenue earner and Nigeria’s huge land size can generate trillions of naira in revenue for development purposes. However, this cannot be achieved in the absence of a
robust valuation mechanism, accurate and up-to-date data, and a transparent and accountable valuation system that ensures justice and fairness.

“It is important therefore, to identify the variations and deficiencies in land valuation practice in Nigeria, and develop mechanisms, based on global best practice, to ensure harmonization that prioritizes accurate and fair processes in the administration of land and other land-based resources.

“The Land Use Act,1978 remains the major legal framework that governs land tenure and ownership in Nigeria.The Act was enacted primarily to regulate land ownership and administration by vesting land in state Governors.The process of land registration under the Act has been described as too bureaucratic, lengthy and costly with many other associated administrative challenges.

“Unfortunately, since its enactment, it has been difficult to amend the Act despite several attempts while other complex land issues requiring attention have also emerged.

“Apart from political and economic factors, a key factor that has strangulated the Act is its embedment in the constitution, making the process of amendment difficult without first undertaking a constitutional amendment.

“In response to this situation, suggestions have been made on the need to provide requisite regulations necessary to enhance implementation of the Land Use Act,1978 in line with Section 51 of the Act, which states that: “The Governor may make regulations for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of this Act.”

“However, since the Act is a national law, it is only appropriate to make regulations that ensures uniformity in the application of the Act nationwide.

“I understand that the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reform (PTCLR), set up under the Yar’Adua administration has done a comprehensive work on how to reform land administration in Nigeria, by providing the necessary blueprints to address some of these challenges”.

He said the committee has identified the Systematic Land Titling and Registration (SLTR) as the best approach to mitigating the dismal sporadic land registration system in Nigeria. Beyond this, the PTCLR has developed a Manual Standard Operating Procedures on SLTR for Nigeria.

Also, he said the committee has developed a document on land valuation mechanisms in Nigeria to ensure harmonization of land valuation across the country, developed regulations for the Land Use Act, 1978 to address, critical weaknesses in the legal framework for land governance in Nigeria and proposed the establishment of National Land Commission, a necessary institutional framework to provide guidelines, technical support and other services that will ensure efficient land governance in Nigeria.

Abbas tasked the conference to deeply reflect and appraise the work done by the PTCLR, the outcomes of the National Land Registration and Documentation Programme (NLRDP) and come up with realistic and pragmatic
recommendations on areas to be improved upon and how they can be implemented as soon as possible.

He said “For instance, how do we leverage en technology to modernize and streamline land registration processes, ensuring harmonization of land records, automated documentation system and accessibility to land information. In terms of investment, how do we ensure a well structured land registration system with the potential to unlock land assets, enable access to credit and enhancing investments in agriculture, housing and infrastructural development”.

He assured that the House of Representatives was ready to work with relevant institutions to make legislations that will ensure efficient land administration system in Nigeria, adding that the potential of land is huge,and if properly harnessed and managed, can bring about economic growth and sustainable development.