Govt plans new land registration system

By The Citizen

The Presidency Thursday announced that it would soon introduce new land titling and registration module in the country to make land registration simpler and more participatory.

This was disclosed by the Chairman Presidential Committee on Land Reform, Prof. Peter Adeniyi during a courtesy call on the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina in Abuja.

Adeniyi said that the planned land-titling module would enable farmers use their land as collateral to secure loans from banks.

He disclosed that the committee in partnership with the World Bank and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has introduced a Systematic Land title registration, which involves biometric collection of data of land so as to know actual owners of lands in the country.

Adeniyi said that despite the fact that Nigeria started land registration since 1963, less than three per cent of land in the country were registered and mapped, 79 per cent of it were not titled, adding that most of this lands were in the rural areas.

He lamented that out of 183 countries, Nigeria ranks 180 on the issue of registration of lands, noting that, though there were laws backing land registration, but there is no regulatory agencies to enforce the law.

He pointed out that lack of proper land titling in the country had discouraged many investors, and has made land dispute to be on the increase.

He said with the archaic land titling and registration in the country there was no way agricultural production could expand, as most farmers do not have titled land for them to be able to secure loans from banks.

He said with the new system of land registration, Nigerians in the urban areas would pay N65,000 to get Certificate of Occupancy, while those in the rural areas would pay N5,000.

Adeniyi, however, appealed to the minister to support the committee, and also encourage farmers to get their land, adding that the minister could also assist by subsidising the funds.

In his remarks, the minister mentioned that Nigeria was not fully utilising its arable land, adding that land registration had been politicised.