Housing Minister Charges States To Allocate One-to-three Percent Annual Budgets For Land Titling Programme 

* Says Land4Growth is Nigeria’s Surest Path to a $1 Trillion Economy

The Honourable Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has issued a bold call for State Governments to dedicate between 1 and 3 percent of their annual budgets to land administration and systematic land titling, declaring that credible land governance is the country’s strongest lever for building a trillion-dollar economy.

Dangiwa made the call in Kano, in a keynote address at the opening of the 30th Conference of Directors of Lands in the Federal and States Ministries,  Departments and Agencies,  Tuesday,  25th November,  2025.

" I strongly recommend and charge that Nigerian State Governments ring-fence between 1 and 3 percent of their annual budgets for land administration and systematic titling during the reform and scaling phase" he stated 

The theme for the 30th Conference is Nigeria Land Titling, Registration and Documentation Programme (NLTRDP): Implementation Mission 

Dangiwa explained that International evidence shows very clearly that Ministries responsible for land administration around the world operate on about one percent of the total public budget. 

He said " based on these global benchmarks and our own national realities ... a sustainable allocation of 0.5 to 1 percent will be sufficient to maintain digital registries, continue systematic documentation, and keep the cadastre up to date" 

The minister further stated that, half of the allocation must go directly to real service delivery- systematic titling, digitisation, modern registries, surveys and dispute-resolution-not vehicles, furniture or overheads. 

" If we spend on impact, not overheads, every State will unlock revenue, citizens will gain secure property rights, and land will become a true economic asset, not dead capital. And let me say this confidently: the success of the Land4Growth Programme is Nigeria’s surest bet to achieving the One Trillion Dollar Economy" he remarked 

Accordingly,  Dangiwa stated that, land becomes bankable, when citizens can use it for credit, when investors trust the registry, and when States earn sustainable revenue from property markets, saying that ' we will unlock growth on a scale that can transform our national economy. That is how land becomes wealth, and how this sector can power Nigeria’s economic future.” he stated.

The Minister further disclosed that the last World Bank Doing Business ranking on Registering Property, Nigeria performed poorly due to excessive procedures, long timelines, and high costs, this he said, creates uncertainty for investors and unnecessary hardship for citizens 

He noted the identical challenges across the states as; complex manual workflows, fragmented and outdated paper records, corruption risks, tenure insecurity for vulnerable groups, and very low revenue collection despite huge potential. 

He also told the participants that, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, land administration will be treated not as routine bureaucracy but as a strategic economic reform, adding that government had begun to translate the commitment into concrete action. 

" I have directed the Director Lands to make sure every Director has a copy of the Concept Note and Framework. embrace it and properly guide your State Governments to adopt it and work with us at the Federal level to implement it" Dangiwa said 

" We are not yet where we want to be, but we are certainly not where we were last year. We are moving - and we are moving with purpose.We have within this period introduced the Nigeria Land Titling, Registration and Documentation Programme (Land4Growth) to unlock an estimated $300 billion in dead capital, and are finalizing a partnership with the World Bank and state governments to register, document, and title land nationwide" he concluded 

Earlier in his opening remark, the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of  Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Shaiub Belgore stated that the annual Conference of Directors of Lands has served as a key platform for professional exchange over the years

He said " As we mark the 30th edition, it is important that this gathering does not remain a yearly talk shop. The true value of this conference will not be measured in speeches, communiqués or photographs,  but in how the knowledge gained here is translated into practical reforms in your States"