By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has unveiled series of land reforms aimed at overhauling land administration and ending the issues of land racketeering in the nation’s capital.
The reforms recently approved by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, sets new time line for payment of all land titles, development of allocated plots and documentation of land titles, particularly in the Area Councils and Mass Housing estates.
Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, said the reforms which takes effect from April 21, 2025, are intended to address longstanding inefficiencies, land speculation, and revenue leakages in the capital’s land system.
He said under the new policy, land allottees will be required to make full payment of all bills, fees, rents, and charges within 21 days of receiving an offer of a Statutory Right of Occupancy, R-of-O. He warned that failure to comply within the stipulated period will render the offer invalid.
“Consequently, as against the unspecified period within which to collect the Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) and make full payment of the Statutory Right of Occupancy bills and charges, land allottees now have 21 days from the date of offer, to make full payment of all bills, fees, rents and charges prescribed on offers of Statutory Rights of Occupancy and submit a duly completed Letter of acceptance alongside evidence of payments, or lose the offer.”
Furthermore, allottees are now required to complete developments on allocated land within two years of the issuance of the R-of-O, so as to combat land hoarding, speculation and encourage timely infrastructure delivery.
“Also, as against the lengthy period within which to develop allocated lands, the period within which to erect and complete developments on any land granted in the FCT is now two years from the date of the commencement of the R-of-O.
Therefore, any R-of-O bills and any other payments made outside the stipulated 21 days shall be considered invalid while any land granted should be developed within two years.”
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, also added that reform will also focus on massive regularization of land allocations made by Area Councils.
Nwankwoeze, assured that the reforms will also address the longstanding irregularities in land documents issued by Area Councils. He lamented that despite a 2006 directive for Area Councils to submit land allocations for vetting and regularisation, only 3.2 percent of the over 261,000 submitted documents have been processed to date.
“It should be noted that in 2006, the Zonal Land, Planning and Survey offices of the six Area Councils were directed to submit all Area Council allocation lists, layouts, files and registers to Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS)/Lands Department, and this was done by the Area Councils.
“However, to date, out of the 261,914 Area Council land documents submitted for regularization, only 8,287 have been vetted, out of which only 2,358 were cleared, validated and regularized to statutory titles. The 8,287 were vetted from 2006 to 2023 (17 years), and this represents just 3.2% of the total land documents submitted for vetting and regularization as at today, the FCT Administration is still left with 253,627 submissions in its database.”
He said the FCTA pledged to expedite the review and validation of these documents, adding that once vetted, statutory titles will be issued and allottees will have 60 days to complete required payments.
“This reform is about aligning Area Council allocations with federal statutory standards and ensuring legitimacy for thousands of landholders,” the statement added.
On mass housing titles for long-term occupants, the Director said the initiative will also address the legal limbo facing many residents of Mass Housing estates, who have occupied properties for years without proper documentation or payment of government dues.
He revealed that out of the 445 mass housing allocations granted since 2000, only two developers have met the full terms.
“Under the new framework, titles will be issued to eligible property owners, with applications to be submitted by either developers or subscribers. No more freehold occupation of government land. Every legitimate holder will now have an opportunity to obtain proper title and fulfill their financial obligations.
“These reforms are not just bureaucratic, they are strategic. We are correcting decades of inefficiency and ensuring that land becomes a productive asset, not a political tool or speculative venture,” he emphasized..
