The federal government has lamented the inability of Nigeria to tap from its landed assets’ potential, noting that the country has so far lost an estimated $300 billion to the issue.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa, made the revelation in Abuja on Wednesday at a workshop on National Land Registration and Documentation Programme (NLRDP) in partnership with the World Bank.
He said “Over 90% of land in Nigeria is unregistered and untitled, making it impossible for landowners to leverage their assets for economic purposes.
“Experts estimate that this has resulted in a dead capital exceeding $300 billion. Addressing this issue is not just about administrative efficiency; it is a critical step toward economic transformation,” he said.
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He stated that the ministry is also seeking to increase the formalization of land transactions from less than 10% to over 50% in the next 10 years.
“This will expand the formal economy, enhance the capacity to track and regulate land markets, and improve access to credit for citizens and businesses. For state governments, it will increase revenue from formal land transactions, improve land market efficiency, and empower marginalized groups, such as women and youth, through formal land ownership,” he further explained
Speaking further, Dangiwa lamented that Nigeria only has about 10 per cent of its landed assets registered since 1883.
“Since the inception of formal land registration in Nigeria in 1883, the processes have been conducted under a non-compulsory sporadic system, which is slow, cumbersome, opaque, and expensive for the average landowner. It is no surprise, therefore, that less than 10 per cent of the entire land in our country is registered in 140 years,” he stated.
On the way forward, he said, “The federal government plans to develop and launch a National Digital Land Information System (NDLIS) to modernise land administration. This system will centralise and digitise land records, reducing bureaucracy and corruption in land transactions.
“For the federal government, it will improve efficiency, enabling faster processing of land titles and registration, while for state governments, it will streamline processes, reduce delays, and improve access to accurate and up-to-date land information.”
He, however, clarified that the initiative respects the jurisdictional independence of state governments, as the role of the ministry is to establish a uniform framework that enables states to build credible, efficient and interoperable land titling and registration systems that will foster nationwide integration and functionality.
The minister further stated that partnering with the World Bank gives Nigeria access to technical capacity, global best practices, proven technologies, and financial resources.
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