Human rights advocate and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Femi Falana, has disclosed that over 90% of Nigerian land assets currently exist as dead capital.
This, he stated, undermines mortgage access, hinders housing development, and limits economic participation.
He, however, urged the government to ensure that the Land4Growth remains inclusive, accessible and free of financial burden for citizens, especially vulnerable households in rural communities.
Falana also called for a financing structure that places the responsibility of titling costs squarely on the government while ensuring legal enforcement and transparency at every stage of implementation.
He spoke on Wednesday in Kano during the second day of the ongoing 30th Conference of Directors of Lands.
His presentation was centred on the reform of Nigeria’s land administration system.
The Senior lawyer commended the Federal Government for the implementation of the Nigeria Land Titling, Registration and Documentation Programme (a.k.a Land4Growth).
He described it as a bold, progressive and transformative intervention that will unlock economic growth, enforce property rights and protect citizens from exploitation.
He applauded the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for championing a programme that targets increasing Nigeria’s formal land registration from less than 10 per cent to 50 per cent within a decade, in partnership with the World Bank.
According to him, a properly executed nationwide land titling programme will mark the beginning of a new wealth creation era for millions of Nigerians and put an end to decades of informal transactions, land disputes, corruption and the harassment of citizens by illicit land operators and omo onile cartels.
He further noted that the success of the programme must go beyond digitisation and urban pilots, warning that without parallel reforms in the enforcement of the Land Use Act and protection of customary rights, digitisation could simply “modernise the old inequities.”
He also advocated a stronger linkage between land titling and financing mechanisms under existing laws like the National Housing Fund and Federal Mortgage Bank frameworks, so that formal titles translate directly into real access to mortgages and mass housing delivery.
The Senior Advocate also asked stakeholders across government institutions, financial institutions, developers, civil society and youth to treat the Land4Growth as a national development imperative, not just a technical exercise.
Leave a Comment