- 60-day deadline set for owners of titled properties to pay ground rent
- Minister Dangiwa emphasised the critical role of these funds in national development
- Architect Musa Dangiwa disclosed the new electronic systems, aimed to streamline land titling and billing processes
In a push for increased compliance, the Federal Government of Nigeria has imposed a 60-day deadline for owners of titled properties across the nation to settle any unpaid ground rent and statutory charges, or risk losing their Certificates of Occupancy (C of O).
Architect Musa Dangiwa, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, made this announcement on Wednesday, October 23 during the 29th Conference of Directors of Lands in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Abuja.
Titled property owners face scrutiny over unpaid statutory charges
“The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is aware that several owners of its titled properties have failed to pay ground rent and other statutory charges to the Ministry for several years now.
“This non-compliance has resulted in the loss of trillions of Naira in revenue to the Federal Government,” Dangiwa stated.
The conference, themed “Equitable Land Stewardship: Challenges of Land Administration and Its Impact on Climate and Community Rights,” gathered important stakeholders from both federal and state agencies.
Dangiwa issues 60-day ultimatum for federal C of O title owners
According to Dangiwa, many property owners have defaulted on their payments, which has cost the government trillions of naira in revenue.
He insisted that the Ministry, with the current administration, will not accept such non-compliance any longer, given that these funds are vital for national development.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, this cannot be tolerated as this revenue is much needed to deliver the Renewed Hope Agenda to Nigerians.
“As such all Federal C of O title owners are hereby given a 60-day notice to settle all outstanding ground rent and statutory charges. Failure to make payment within this period will result in the revocation of their C of Os,’’ Dangiwa stated.
Ministry announces upgrades to electronic certificate of occupancy system
Additionally, the minister mentioned that some residents’ associations in Federal Government-owned estates have prevented ministry officials from carrying out billing and enforcing payment collection.
He emphasised that these associations must follow the stipulations of their Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to prevent incurring penalties and sanctions.
The report also stated that Dangiwa announced that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has improved the Electronic Certificate of Occupancy (e-C of O) and the Land Titling System for all federal government-owned lands in Nigeria’s 36 states.
National land titling programme aims to unlock $300 billion
The improved system combines a web-based Advanced Workflow System (WNABS) with an Electronic Documentation Management System (EDMS) to facilitate the review, approval, and issuance processes, leading to a substantial decrease in administrative hurdles and processing durations.
This initiative falls under a broader national land titling program, established in partnership with the World Bank and other stakeholders, focused on unlocking $300 billion in untapped capital connected to unregistered land.
He indicated that as of October 2024, over 600 e-C of O applications have been approved digitally, and there are plans to resolve the outstanding backlog by December.
World Bank urges Nigeria to sustain economic reforms for 10 to 15 years
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the World Bank noted that Nigeria needed to sustain its economic reforms for the next 10 to 15 years to achieve economic transformation.
Indermit Gill, senior vice-president of the World Bank Group, emphasised the need for continued reforms to recover the N10 trillion lost due to petrol subsidies and varying foreign exchange rates.