The Federal Capital Territory Administration has disclosed that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has signed 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.
The figure is 17,575 higher than the 8,697 Certificates of Occupancy produced and signed in the Federal Capital Territory between 2010 and 2023, according to the FCT Administration.
The administration said the development was part of efforts to improve access to land documents, support businesses and make it easier for residents and investors to carry out transactions in the nation’s capital.
The figures were disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
According to the statement, the number of Certificates of Occupancy signed under Wike was more than three times the number produced during the combined eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the five-and-a-half-year administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“To aid the ease of doing business in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, a total of 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) have been signed by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, since the President assumed office,” the statement said.
The administration said 8,697 C-of-Os were produced and signed between 2010 and 2023.
It explained that 5,500 were produced and signed during the five-and-a-half years of the Jonathan administration, while 3,197 were produced and signed during Buhari’s eight years in office.
The FCT Administration said the increase under Wike was particularly important because many of the beneficiaries had been waiting for their land documents for years.
Olayinka said several beneficiaries whose C-of-Os were signed under the current administration had received their land allocations more than 10 years ago but had not obtained the documents required to fully secure and use their properties.
The C-of-O is an important document in land ownership and property transactions in Nigeria. It provides evidence of a person’s interest in land and is often required when property owners want to carry out certain transactions involving their land.
The FCT Administration said the document could also be used as collateral when individuals or businesses seek commercial loans, mortgages and other forms of financing.
Olayinka said delays in issuing the documents could therefore affect access to funds, especially for small and medium-sized businesses that may need to use property as security for loans.
He said the administration had taken steps to reduce the time required to obtain Certificates of Occupancy and make the process more convenient for land allottees.
According to him, the administration has streamlined the process so that allottees who have made the necessary payments can now receive their C-of-Os within two weeks.
“The moment necessary payments are made, land allottees can now get their C-of-O within two weeks. Also, an automated notification has been introduced to ensure that land allottees are informed when their documents are ready for collection,” Olayinka said.
The introduction of the automated notification system is expected to reduce delays and improve communication between the administration and landowners.
Instead of repeatedly visiting government offices to check whether their documents are ready, beneficiaries can receive notifications when their Certificates of Occupancy are available for collection.
The FCT Administration attributed some of the delays recorded under previous administrations to inefficiencies in the process.
According to the statement, such delays discouraged some landowners from completing the payments required to obtain their documents.
The administration said speeding up the process would encourage more allottees to complete their payments and obtain the necessary documents for their properties.
Apart from Certificates of Occupancy, the FCT Administration also disclosed an increase in the number of property-related consents issued under the Tinubu administration.
It said 2,521 Consents to Assign were granted during the first three years of the current administration.
This compares with 753 Consents to Assign granted during the Jonathan administration and 684 issued during the Buhari administration.
A Consent to Assign is required when a person wants to transfer his or her interest in a property to another person.
The approval is important in property transactions because it allows the relevant authority to formally recognise the transfer of an interest in land.
The administration also disclosed that 177 Consents to Mortgage had been granted during the first three years of the Tinubu administration.
This compares with 180 Consents to Mortgage granted during the Jonathan administration and 164 under Buhari.
A Consent to Mortgage is required before certain property interests can be used as security for a loan.
The figures show that while the number of Consents to Assign increased significantly under the current administration, the number of Consents to Mortgage remained relatively close to the figures recorded under previous administrations.
The FCT Administration said the measures were designed to improve access to property documentation and make it easier for individuals and businesses to use their property to obtain financing.
The issue of land documentation has remained important in Abuja because of the rapid growth of the Federal Capital Territory and the high demand for residential and commercial property.
As the population of the capital continues to increase, demand for land and housing has also grown, making efficient land administration important for residents, developers and investors.
Property documentation is particularly important for businesses because secure land titles can help owners unlock financing for expansion.
Small and medium-sized enterprises often face difficulty accessing bank loans because of a lack of acceptable collateral. Where property is properly documented and accepted by financial institutions, it can provide an avenue for raising funds.
The FCT Administration therefore said its reforms were aimed not only at clearing a backlog of land documents but also at improving the wider business environment in the capital.
The administration linked the reforms to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which has placed emphasis on improving the ease of doing business and attracting investment.
The FCT Administration said the progress recorded in the issuance of C-of-Os and other property documents demonstrated the administration’s effort to make land-related services more efficient.
However, the figures released by the administration are its own official claims, and they do not by themselves establish whether the current process has resolved all land administration challenges in the FCT.
Issues such as land allocation, property disputes, building approvals, planning regulations and the cost of acquiring property remain concerns for residents and investors.
The administration’s focus is now on ensuring that the faster processing of documents is sustained and that beneficiaries receive their titles without unnecessary delays.
For landowners who have waited for years to obtain their documents, the reported reduction in processing time could provide significant relief.
The FCT Administration said the goal was to ensure that residents and investors could obtain the documents they needed to develop their properties, transfer ownership where necessary and access funding.
With Abuja continuing to attract residents, businesses and investors from across Nigeria, efficient land administration is expected to remain a key part of the development of the capital.