Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Nyesom Wike, has introduced new reforms aimed at land administration in the nation's capital.
Wike said the reforms will take effect from April 21, 2025, noting it would help in streamlining land titling processes, improve revenue generation, and curb land speculation and racketeering.
Director of Land Administration, Mr Chijioke Nwankwoeze who spoke on behalf of the Minister, said the reforms will address key areas such as conditions of grant for Statutory Right of Occupancy (R-of-O), the contents of R-of-O bills and letters of acceptance or refusal, titling of Mass Housing and sectional interests, and the regularization of Area Council land documents.
He noted that until now, there was no specific deadline for payment of statutory land charges, nor were there penalties for late payment. This loophole, he said, contributed to delays in revenue collection, slow infrastructure development, and sustained cases of land speculation and racketeering.
Under the new policy, land allottees must now make full payment of all bills, rents, fees, and charges related to their R-of-O within 21 days of receiving their offer. They must also submit a completed letter of acceptance and proof of payment within this period, or risk losing the land allocation.
“Any payment made outside the 21-day window will be considered invalid,” the minister emphasized, adding that development on any allocated land must now be completed within two years from the date the R-of-O takes effect.
The reforms also seek to bring order to the chaotic handling of Area Council land allocations. Although all lands in the FCT are designated as urban lands, only a small fraction of Area Council-issued land documents have been successfully vetted and converted to statutory titles.
Of the 261,914 documents submitted by Area Councils for regularization since 2006, only 8,287 have been vetted, with just 2,358 cleared and regularized a mere 3.2% of the total. The FCTA still has a backlog of 253,627 documents pending review.
Going forward, vetted Area Council land documents will be converted to statutory titles, and beneficiaries must pay all associated fees within 60 days, or the offer becomes invalid.
On Mass Housing, the FCTA is launching a new framework for titling properties and recognizing sectional interests. Although the Mass Housing initiative introduced in 2000 under a public-private partnership model was designed to ease housing shortages, only two of the 445 developers have met the full terms and conditions of their allocations.
“Occupants of Mass Housing Estates have held properties for years without remitting any rent, charges, or fees to the government,”; Mr. Nwankwoeze revealed. “This is about to change.”;
Beginning April 21, 2025, subscribers and developers must apply to the Department of Land Administration for the processing of titles on Mass Housing and sectional interests under the new operational framework.
Wike noted that the reforms reflect the Minister’s vision to restore confidence and transparency in land administration across the FCT.
