Ele Wada
The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) yesterday raised the alarm over the fragility of land governance in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), warning that poor coordination, weak titling systems, and fragmented administration are driving away investors and curtailing land-based revenue.
The warning came at the 32nd Annual Johnwood Ekpenyong Memorial Lecture, which convened policymakers, industry professionals, and stakeholders to explore reforms capable of repositioning Abuja as a competitive hub for investment. The lecture carried the theme: “From Compliance to Competitiveness: Positioning Abuja Land Governance Framework for Investment Confidence and Revenue Growth.”
Delivering the keynote, Immediate Past President of NIESV, Johnbull Osarume, described ineffective land governance as a structural threat to economic growth. He emphasised that modern land systems must serve as catalysts for investment rather than bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“Land governance is ultimately about confidence. Where systems are opaque, fragmented or slow, investors step back and capital dries up,” Osarume said, stressing the urgent need for reform.
He identified institutional fragmentation among land agencies as a key obstacle, creating uncertainty, regulatory inconsistencies, and delays that discourage both domestic and foreign investment. Osarume proposed a unified, integrated land governance framework for the FCT.
Central to his recommendations was a ministerial harmonisation directive to align data standards, workflows, and service timelines across land administration agencies, coupled with the creation of a Land Governance Coordination Council to enforce compliance and resolve disputes.
Osarume further called for a single digital land governance portal to manage applications, approvals, payments, and tracking. “Digitisation would convert land from a dormant asset into an active driver of productivity, revenue and credit access,” he said.
The lecture also highlighted the economic cost of unformalised peri-urban land, where unclear ownership and documentation gaps leave large tracts unattractive to investors. NIESV President Victor Alonge urged simplified titling, area-based registration, and phased documentation to integrate these lands into formal planning and revenue systems.
“More than 90 per cent of land in Nigeria remains unregistered. This represents massive dead capital that cannot support credit expansion or long-term investment,” Alonge said, adding that estate surveyors and valuers must be fully involved in land policy formulation to restore credibility and transparency.
Drawing lessons from Singapore, Kigali, and Riyadh, Alonge noted that efficient land governance underpins urban competitiveness, revenue mobilisation, and investor confidence. He concluded that, with reforms, Abuja’s untapped land-based revenue could become a major driver of national development.