The Lagos State Government has entered into a partnership with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to strengthen efforts against fraud and other illegal activities in the state’s real estate sector. The collaboration aims to improve transparency, protect property buyers and investors, and restore public confidence in land and housing transactions.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement, state officials said the partnership will focus on identifying fraudulent real estate schemes, investigating land-related financial crimes, and strengthening enforcement against individuals and organisations involved in property scams. The initiative is also expected to enhance information sharing between both institutions to improve regulatory oversight.

The government noted that the rapid growth of Lagos’ real estate market has created opportunities for fraudulent land transactions, fake property allocations, multiple sales of the same property, forged land documents, and unregistered estate developments. Authorities said stronger collaboration with the EFCC will help reduce these practices and improve accountability across the sector.

Officials also urged prospective property buyers and investors to carry out proper due diligence before purchasing land or housing units. They advised members of the public to verify property ownership, confirm land titles with relevant government agencies, and engage qualified legal and real estate professionals before completing transactions.

The EFCC reaffirmed its commitment to investigating and prosecuting financial crimes within the real estate industry, stressing that fraudulent activities undermine investor confidence, discourage legitimate investment, and negatively affect economic development.

Stakeholders welcomed the initiative, describing it as an important step towards sanitising Nigeria’s real estate market. They called for stronger regulation, digital land administration systems, improved property registration processes, and greater public awareness to reduce fraud and promote a more transparent property sector.

The Lagos State Government reiterated that protecting investors and ensuring integrity within the real estate industry remain key priorities as the state continues to attract local and international investment in housing and infrastructure development.

Focus Keyphrase

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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.

The post Why Property Owners Shun Land Titles in Nigeria appeared first on Housing TV Africa.

Key Issues Affecting Land Registration
Despite efforts by some state governments to reduce costs, many Nigerians still struggle to afford the documentation required for land registration. The lack of formal titles increases the risk of fraud, limits property transfers, restricts access to financial credit, and ultimately suppresses real estate market growth.

According to PwC, about 60% of Nigeria’s landmass (923,000 square kilometers) lacks formal titles, making them “dead assets”—neither tradeable nor bankable. This prevents property owners from using their land as collateral for loans, further stifling economic activity.

In most states, completing land title registration can take anywhere between 12 months to two years, requiring multiple documents and payments. Even in states where digital systems have been introduced, bureaucratic hurdles persist.

Regional Variations in Land Registration
The time required to complete land registration varies across different states:

South-West Nigeria:

Lagos: 3–6 months
Ogun: Up to 3 years
Ondo: 2–3 months
Osun: 1–3 years
Oyo: 3 months
South-South Nigeria:

Akwa Ibom: Indefinite delays
Bayelsa, Delta: 6 months
Cross River: 1 month
Edo: 3 months
Rivers: Up to 12 months
South-East Nigeria:

Abia, Enugu, Imo: 1–4 years
Anambra: 1 month
Ebonyi: 6 months
North-West Nigeria:

Sokoto: 2 weeks
Kano: 1–3 months
Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara: 3 months
Kebbi: 1–4 years
The High Cost of Land Registration
In many states, land registration fees can reach 10% of the land’s market value, covering survey fees, consent fees, stamp duty, and other administrative charges.

For instance, in Lagos, the fees include:

Survey fees: 5% of market value
Stamp duty: 0.05% of market value
Registration fee: 0.5% of market value
Consent fee: 1.5% of market value
This means that for a ₦85 million land purchase, about ₦8.5 million would go towards these fees alone. Additionally, the approval process requires multiple certifications from agencies such as:

Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA)
Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development (MPPUD)
State Safety Commission (LSSC)
Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA)
Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS)
Expert Opinions on Solving the Crisis
Experts argue that Nigeria’s slow and expensive land registration process discourages investment. Adebisi Adedire, President of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), highlighted that obtaining land titles often takes between one and three years, even with digitization efforts.

Former NIESV Lagos Chairman, Dotun Bamigbola, noted that many states prioritize internally generated revenue (IGR) over service delivery, making land registration unnecessarily expensive and time-consuming.

Nathaniel Atebije, past president of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), suggested that modernizing the system with better equipment and digitization could cut processing time to just hours. He emphasized that the current bureaucratic delays stem from poor planning and government inefficiencies.

Similarly, Niyi Fadoju, former NIESV Chairman of Real Estate Consulting, urged governments to de-emphasize revenue generation in land administration, advocating for a more transparent, efficient, and supportive system that encourages investment rather than deterring it.

Conclusion
Nigeria’s real estate sector holds immense potential, but land registration inefficiencies continue to hinder its growth. Addressing these challenges through streamlined processes, reduced costs, and increased transparency will unlock opportunities for investment, job creation, and overall economic development.

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