A big change is coming to Abuja’s land system. Property owners must pay attention. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has approved a new land policy.
It will take effect on April 21, 2025. This move is meant to raise more revenue and improve land control in Nigeria’s capital.
Under the new rules, anyone who gets land in Abuja must develop it within two years. This starts from the day their Right of Occupancy begins. If they don’t build within that time, the land will be taken back.
There’s also a 21-day deadline for new land offers. Once someone receives an offer, they must pay all fees and submit an acceptance letter within 21 days. If they fail to do this, the offer becomes invalid even if they try to pay later.
People holding old land papers from area councils should also take note. Abuja treats all land as urban. That means old documents must be checked and updated. Since 2006, over 261,000 land papers have been submitted for regularisation. Only a little over 2,300 have been cleared. The rest are still waiting.
Once a document is cleared, the landowner will have 60 days to pay all charges. If not, the offer will be withdrawn.
The Mass Housing Scheme is also part of the reform. This program started in 2000 to help people get affordable homes. The government gave out 445 housing allocations. But only two developers followed all the rules. Starting April 21, developers and subscribers can now apply for their land titles.
Experts are warning landowners to act now. Ikeoluwa Imam, a town planner, said people should check their land payment status through the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS). If any charges are due, they should pay them. Once the fees are paid, no one can take the land—unless it’s for the public good. In that case, the owner must get compensation.
If a land title hasn’t been approved yet, the owner will need to wait for the next regularisation period. Imam also advised residents in estates to apply for official land titles through the FCT lands department.
But Imam had a warning for the minister. He said reforms should not be used to take people’s land unfairly. Nigeria is facing a tough economy. People are struggling. Land seizures should not be used to raise revenue. He reminded the minister that actions taken today will be judged tomorrow.
