He made this disclosure at the Conference of Directors of Lands in the Federal and State Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, themed “Improving Land-Based Revenue of the Federating Units in Nigeria through Efficient and Effective Land Administration,” which was held in Lagos State on Wednesday.
He said, “Currently, we have a situation where the Land Use Act was enacted in 1978, but there was no complementary institution set up alongside it to provide the necessary framework, guidelines, and regulations for operationalising it. We are working to establish a National Land Commission that would fix this gap and chart a new way forward for effective land administration in the country.
“This will improve land titling and boost Nigeria’s ranking on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business where we currently rank 186th out of 190 countries on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index in terms of ease of registering properties.
“Last week I met with the leadership of the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reforms, Prof. Peter Adeniyi, and we agreed to incorporate the extensive work that they have done over 14 years in our land reform strategy. As the renowned land reform scholar said, experience shows that a nation can never develop if it does not conduct land reform. It will also help to boost revenues that States and Federal Government can earn from land.”
The Minister decried the current state of land administration in the country, adding that the same issues that were there decades ago were still plaguing the industry.
He added, “This includes inadequate land information systems, complex land tenure systems, cumbersome and time-consuming land registration processes that contribute to delays and corruption in the system; the lack of a streamlined and transparent registration process that discourages investment and hinders economic development; inadequate urban planning which leads to informal settlements; congestion, and improper land use, inadequate legal and regulatory frameworks which results in legal uncertainties, making it difficult for individuals and businesses to navigate the land administration system with confidence. These are all problems that we all must fix. No one will do it for us.
“I must acknowledge that some of these problems are beyond the capacity of the Conference and Directors to resolve. Indeed, the most fundamental ones such as the Land Use Act 1978 require legislative amendments and national government policy interventions.
“However, there is a lot of room for innovation to circumvent the limitations posed by some of these barriers. We have seen in States such as Kaduna, and Kano, where innovative leaders have found ways to implement reforms that have helped them ease land administration by introducing efficiencies in land titling and property registration despite the limitations of the Land Use Act. These states deserve our commendation.”
Meanwhile, the minister noted that the second related reform that was also initiated was the nationwide adoption of the Model Mortgage Foreclosure Law.
He added, “The Model Mortgage Foreclosure Law is a housing industry stakeholder initiative and part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR that is focused on establishing an enabling environment for investment in real estate and the growth of mortgages in a state.
“It provides contemporary provisions on the creation, registration, and enforcement of mortgages, along with remedies like foreclosure and the enforcement of mortgages on real properties and related purposes in Nigeria.
“As of date, the Model Mortgage Foreclosure Law has been passed in four states, including Lagos, Kaduna, Ekiti, and Nasarawa States. We aim to drive its passage in all the states of the federation as part of our efforts to ensure that investments in the housing and mortgage sector are protected.”
