WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, ARC. AHMED M. DANGIWA FNIA, FCIB, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 28TH CONFERENCE OF DIRECTORS OF LANDS IN THE FEDERAL AND STATE MINISTRIES, DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES HOLDING AT MARCELINA’S PLACE, IKEJA, LAGOS, ON 15TH - 16TH NOVEMBER 2023
PROTOCOLS:
1. It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the 28th Conference of Directors of Lands in Federal and State Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Nigeria.
2. As most of you are already aware, this Conference was conceived over 28 years as part of efforts to promote effective land administration in our country.
3. Each year the Conference provides a platform for Directors of Lands at Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, State Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Nigeria to gather, network, share experiences, discuss sector challenges to produce clear recommendations that border on promoting effective land administration in the country.
4. The Conference objective remains noble, progressive, and relevant today, as it was back then when the Conference was conceived. So, as we begin this 2023 edition, the 28th one in a series, we must do so in full recognition of the current in-efficient and challenges-full state of land administration in our country today.
5. To do this means asking ourselves some tough questions to bring us to reality and confronting the answers.
6. First, can we say that the sum of annual gatherings and conversations over the close to three (3) decades of this conference are helping us make progress in fixing the many issues in land administration in our dear country?
7. How many of the issues that we discuss each year at this Conference end up tackled and solved? How many of the recommendations that the Conference produces end up implemented? Or are we simply moving around in circles and turning the conference into an annual bazaar of some sort. Do we even have a tracking mechanism to monitor whether we are making progress or not?
8. We must confront these questions and be humbled by the answers. It is only by doing this reality check that we can find the inspiration, encouragement and resolve to work harder and differently in our respective offices as Directors and stakeholders towards achieving the noble goals with which this Conference was established.
9. As the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, I must say that I am honestly not happy with the current state of land administration in the country. And the reasons are obvious. The same issues that were there decades ago are still there today with us today.
10. This includes inadequate land information systems, complex land tenure systems, cumbersome and time-consuming land registration processes that contribute to delays and corruption in the system; the lack of a streamlined and transparent registration process that discourages investment and hinders economic development; inadequate urban planning which lead to informal settlements; congestion, and improper land use, inadequate legal and regulatory frameworks which results in legal uncertainties, making it difficult for individuals and businesses to navigate the land administration system with confidence. These are all problems that we all must fix. No one will do it for us.
11. I must acknowledge that some of these problems are beyond the capacity of the Conference and Directors to resolve. Indeed, the most fundamental ones such as the Land Use Act 1978 require legislative amendments and national government policy interventions. However, there is a lot of room for innovation to circumvent the limitations posed by some of these barriers. We have seen in States such as Kaduna, Kano, where innovative leaders have found ways to implement reforms that have helped them ease land administration by introducing efficiencies in land titling and property registration despite the limitations of the Land Use Act. These states deserve our commendation.
12. And my charge to all of you attending this 2023 Conference is that we must do likewise. We must think out of the box, innovate, and learn to do things differently. That will help us make progress and change the narrative going forward.
13. The theme of this year’s Conference — "Improving Land-Based Revenue of the Federating Units in Nigeria through Efficient and Effective Land Administration" — speaks directly to the core of our national progress.
14. As you are all aware, land, is an economic resource that holds immense potential for revenue generation and sustainable development. However, to harness this potential, we must address the challenges within our land administration systems and strive for efficiency and effectiveness.
15. I am happy to inform you that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is set to tackle the systemic challenges that have hindered effective land administration. Mr. President has a bold vision for the sector and is committed to backing it up with the necessary political will to break down all barriers to unlock the revenue earning potential of land.
16. As the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, we have taken Mr. President’s vision and are running with it. Our aim is to implement the most historic land reforms the country has ever witnessed to make it easier, safer, and more profitable for the private sector to invest in the sector and make good returns.
17. A notable part of our broad housing sector reforms includes the implementation of comprehensive land reforms towards streamlining land administration and ensuring easy, cost effective and efficient access to land in our country.
18. Currently, we have a situation where the Land Use Act was enacted in 1978 but there was no complementary institution set up alongside it to provide the necessary framework, guidelines, and regulations for operationalizing it. We are working to establish a National Land Commission that would fix this gap and chart a new way forward for effective land administration in the country.
19. This will improve land titling and boost Nigeria’s ranking on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business where we currently rank 186th out of 190 countries on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index in terms of ease of registering properties. Last week I met with the leadership of the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reforms, Prof. Peter O. Adeniyi, where we agreed to incorporate the extensive work that they have done over 14 years in our land reform strategy. As the renowned land reform scholar said, experience shows that a nation can never develop if it does not conduct land reform. It will also help to boost revenues that States and Federal Government can earn from land.
20. The second related reform is the nationwide adoption of the Model Mortgage Foreclosure Law. The Model Mortgage Foreclosure Law (MMFL) is a housing industry stakeholder initiative and part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR that is focused on establishing an enabling environment for investment in real estate and the growth of mortgages in a state. It provides contemporary provisions on the creation, registration, and enforcement of mortgages, along with remedies like foreclosure and the enforcement of mortgages on real properties and related purposes in Nigeria.
21. As of date, the Model Mortgage Foreclosure Law (MMFL) has been passed in four (4) states, including Lagos, Kaduna, Ekiti, and Nasarawa States. We aim to drive its passage in all the states of the federation as part of our efforts to ensure that investments in the housing and mortgage sector are protected.
22. The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, through the Lands and Housing Development Departments, made great strides in improving land-based revenue generation for the Federal Government by way of income from fees charged on both primary and secondary transactions. These are statutory fees demanded for use of Federal Government lands.
23. As you deliberate on land and land related issues for the next two days, I urge you to critically examine measures that you can act on in the interim such issues as digitization of land titling process to improve ease of doing business, fostering synergy between public and private investors in housing delivery, checking the trend of double titling and multiple charges on Federal Government properties in the states, all of which is aimed at improving land based revenue in the tiers of government. At the end of your deliberations, it is hoped that you will come up with meaningful and workable solution to most of the problems confronting land administration and management at the various tiers of Government.
24. Knowing fully well that the outcome of this conference will form part of input/proposals to the National Council on Lands and Housing to be held next year. It is, therefore, with all seriousness of purpose that I enjoin you to be sincere and meticulous in your deliberations, putting the interests of the Country and complexity of interests in land in focus, in addressing issues hindering efficient land administration and management in Nigeria with a view to improving land-based revenue for sustainable development in the country.
25. On this note, it is now my special pleasure and privilege to declare the 28th Conference of Directors of Lands in Federal and State Ministries, Departments and Agencies open.
26. Thank you and may God bless Nigeria.
