Despite efforts at reform, Nigeria’s land title registration system remains mired in red tape and corruption, with over 90 per cent of the nation’s land mass unregistered, an alarming statistic that experts say has rendered an estimated $300 billion in assets economically dormant.
The persistent failure to streamline property registration processes is discouraging landowners from obtaining Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-Os) and other valid titles. Development economists warn that this neglect undermines national housing delivery, limits access to credit, and sustains a shadow economy built on informal land ownership.
While digital reforms and land automation systems have been introduced in some states, challenges such as exorbitant registration fees, sluggish approvals, multiple regulatory layers, and corrupt practices by government officials continue to discourage compliance.
Cumbersome Processes Across States
Across states like Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Rivers, Abuja, and Adamawa, property developers and homeowners face complex and costly bureaucratic procedures. Approvals often span months, sometimes years with delays typically caused by human bottlenecks rather than technological inefficiencies.
Dr Esther Oromidayo Thontteh, a fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, shared a personal experience in Lagos where, despite completing all required payments and documentation for a renovation in Ikeja GRA, her company was stalled for six months. According to her, even additional facilitation fees paid to agency staff made no difference.
“They kept claiming they needed to verify the receipts, even though they were authentic government payments. One official even said we were lucky the payments were genuine, or approval would have been near-impossible,” she recounted.
The Guardian’s investigation revealed that landowners are often required to present a cumbersome set of documents; survey plans, tax receipts, environmental permits, and allocation proofs before being considered for title approval. Even with full documentation, registration costs and endless visits to government agencies dissuade applicants.
Prohibitive Costs, Lack of Coordination
A Lagos-based property developer recently received a N450,000 bill from the State Safety Commission for safety approvals alone. The fees included N300,000 for hazard risk assessment, N50,000 for safety plan evaluation, and N100,000 for a compliance certificate—on top of other pre-existing regulatory charges and required safety installations.
Across most states, stakeholders complain about inconsistent documentation requirements, duplicative charges, and a system vulnerable to extortion. Even when governments announce timelines for processing C-of-Os, actual delivery often exceeds stated durations unless applicants have influential connections.
Processing times vary wildly: from three months to over a year in Lagos, three to four years in Ogun, and up to three years in Osun. In Ekiti and Ondo states, the wait can stretch beyond six months.
Startling Statistics Reflect Crisis
Findings from the Nigeria Living Standards Survey show that 71.4% of property owners across the country lack formal land titles. Only 13.2% have any form of title deeds, and a mere 8.1% possess a valid Certificate of Occupancy.
In Lagos—the state with the highest prevalence of C-of-Os—just 22.9% of buildings are titled. Despite this, the Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Olajide Babatunde, revealed that only 246 C-of-Os were applied for in the last six years, while 649 applications were made for regularisation.
Across the country, the story is similar. Between 2012 and 2021, only 392 C-of-Os were registered in Taraba State. In Oyo, 6,779 applications between 2020 and 2022 led to just 4,804 issuances. Borno State issued only 1,722 titles over two decades but improved between 2020 and 2024 with 2,500 C-of-Os granted.
The National Bureau of Statistics reported declining C-of-O issuances in Abuja from 980 in 2020 to 931 in 2022. In contrast, from May 2023 to December 2024, the FCT Administration processed 5,481 titles still fewer than the total issued over the previous 13 years.
Experts Urge Overhaul of Land Administration
Stakeholders are unanimous in calling for urgent reforms. Former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola recently advised against using land titling as a revenue tool, warning that multiple overlapping agencies sometimes up to 17 in Lagos stifle efficiency and innovation.
The immediate past President of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), Muyiwa Adelu, said delays in C-of-O applications are discouraging new submissions. “We’ve had to tell clients all kinds of stories because of the delay. Technology should help the process—not complicate it further,” he said.
Adelu urged state governments to recruit qualified professionals into land administration offices and ensure service delivery timelines are met. “If manpower is the problem, many trained professionals are available and willing to work,” he added.
President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Akintoye Adeoye, echoed similar sentiments, stressing that the problem lies not in the law but in its implementation. “The Land Use Act provides a sound framework, but what we need is transparency and efficiency. Land should serve housing needs, not just revenue targets.”
For Adele Adeniji, regional head of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), the consequences of inefficiency go beyond red tape—they affect Nigeria’s economic competitiveness.
“Land titles are essential for accessing capital. Without proper documentation, developers can’t raise funding, and banks won’t lend. Until the system becomes user-friendly and reliable, we will continue to bury capital in unproductive land,” he said.
Conclusion
With a staggering volume of land remaining untitled and unused, experts believe that Nigeria’s land administration crisis poses one of the greatest threats to its housing and economic development. Unless reforms are urgently undertaken to simplify, digitise, and demystify the registration process, billions of dollars in potential investment will remain locked in ‘dead capital.’
