Nigeria’s real estate sector is facing a deep, silent crisis. More than 90% of land in the country remains untitled and unregistered. This has locked up an estimated $300 billion in what experts describe as “dead capital.” Without proper land titles, many property owners cannot use their assets for loans or investments.
The lack of land registration affects:
•Access to mortgage and credit
•Housing development
•Investor confidence
•Formal property ownership
Efforts to reform the system have not solved the core issues. Bureaucratic delays, high registration costs, and widespread corruption remain common across most states.
Across Nigeria, the story is the same. From Lagos to Kano, Abuja to Adamawa, property owners face endless delays and unclear processes.
Dr. Esther Oromidayo Thontteh, a fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, shared a personal experience in Ikeja GRA. Her company paid the required fees and submitted all documents, yet waited over six months without approval.
“We paid everything and used one of their officers,” she said. “Six months later, nothing. They kept saying they were verifying receipts.”
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Beyond delays, multiple fees discourage landowners. In Lagos, one developer paid ₦450,000 for safety approval alone. The charges included:
•₦300,000 for risk assessment
•₦50,000 for safety plan checks
•₦100,000 for a compliance certificate
This is in addition to mandatory on-site safety installations and insurance coverage.
In many states, landowners must visit up to 17 different agencies to process a title.
Despite promises, most states process few applications. For example:
•Lagos: Less than 25% of buildings are approved
•Ogun: Title approval can take up to 4 years
•Taraba: Issued only 392 C-of-Os in 9 years
•FCT: Issued just 8,400 C-of-Os from 2010 to 2023
A National Bureau of Statistics report confirms that only 13.2% of landowners have title deeds, and only 8.1% hold official Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-Os).
Experts want the system simplified and digitized. Muyiwa Adelu, former head of ATOPCON, said:
“Delays discourage people. If you apply and hear nothing for months, why bother? Technology should speed things up not slow them down.”
Akintoye Adeoye, President of REDAN, added:
“The process must be simplified. Land titling should support housing development not be a way to generate government revenue.”
Adele Adeniji of FIABCI-Africa emphasized the cost of inaction:
“No bank will fund a large project without a land title. Without reform, growth in the sector is impossible.”
The solution is clear. For Nigeria to unlock the full potential of its property sector, the land titling process must become fast, transparent, and affordable. Until then, much of the country’s land will remain idle unable to drive development or create wealth.
