FG issues deadline for property owners to settle ground rent

The Federal Government has issued a 60-day ultimatum for owners of its titled properties across Nigeria to clear all outstanding ground rent and other statutory charges or face the revocation of their Certificates of Occupancy (C of O).

This was announced by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Musa Dangiwa, during the 29th Conference of Directors of Lands in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) held in Abuja.

Speaking at the conference themed “Equitable Land Stewardship: Challenges of Land Administration and Its Impact on Climate and Community Rights,” Dangiwa emphasized that property owners’ failure to meet their financial obligations has cost the government trillions of naira in lost revenue. He added that under the current administration, non-compliance would no longer be tolerated, as these funds are essential for national development.

The government is expected to take firm actions after the deadline, including the revocation of defaulting titles, to ensure compliance and boost public revenue.

“The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is aware that several owners of its titled properties have failed to pay ground rent and other statutory charges to the Ministry for several years now.

“This non-compliance has resulted in the loss of trillions of Naira in revenue to the Federal Government.

“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, this cannot be tolerated as this revenue is much needed to deliver the Renewed Hope Agenda to Nigerians.

“As such all Federal C of O title owners are hereby given a 60-day notice to settle all outstanding ground rent and statutory charges. Failure to make payment within this period will result in the revocation of their C of Os,’’ Dangiwa said.

The minister also noted that some residents’ associations in Federal Government-owned estates have obstructed ministry officials from conducting billing and enforcing payments.

Dangiwa warned that these associations must comply with the terms of their Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to avoid penalties and sanctions.

The report further noted that Dangiwa disclosed the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has enhanced the Electronic Certificate of Occupancy (e-C of O) and Land Titling System for all federal government-owned lands across Nigeria’s 36 states.

The upgraded system integrates a web-based Advanced Workflow System (WNABS) and an Electronic Documentation Management System (EDMS) to streamline the review, approval, and issuance processes, significantly reducing administrative bottlenecks and processing times.

He noted that as of October 2024, over 600 e-C of O applications have been digitally approved, with plans to clear the remaining backlog by December.

This initiative is part of a broader national land titling program, developed in partnership with the World Bank and other stakeholders, aimed at unlocking $300 billion in untapped capital tied to unregistered land.