By Nehemiah Anini | The Chronicles of Construction
Nigeria’s pathway to a trillion-dollar economy may depend on something often overlooked: proper land governance.
This was the powerful message delivered by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, as he urged State Governments nationwide to allocate 1–3% of their annual budgets to land administration and systematic titling.
Speaking in Kano at the opening session of the 30th Conference of Directors of Lands in Federal and State MDAs, Dangiwa described land governance as “the nation’s most formidable tool for building a trillion-dollar economy.”
The minister emphasized that global best practices show that land ministries in developed economies typically operate on approximately 1% of total public spending.
Nigeria, he insisted, must align.
“In this transformative period,” he said,
“I fervently advocate that State Governments secure between 1 and 3 percent of their yearly budgets for land administration and systematic titling.”
He further clarified that even a 0.5–1% allocation, when strategically deployed, would be enough to sustain modern digital land registries, maintain updated cadastral systems, and support systematic documentation nationwide.
But he issued a strict warning:
Half of whatever is allocated MUST go into service delivery — not overheads.
That means real work:
- Digitization
- Surveys
- Modern registries
- Systematic titling
- Alternative dispute resolution
Not vehicles, not furniture, not bureaucracy.
Arc. Dangiwa reinforced a crucial principle: land only becomes economically valuable when it is secure, documented, and trusted.
“When citizens can use land as collateral… when investors trust the registry… when States generate sustainable income from property markets…” he said,
“…we ignite economic growth powerful enough to transform Nigeria.”
He tied this vision directly to the government’s flagship Land4Growth Programme, which aims to unlock $300 billion worth of dormant capital currently trapped in undocumented land across the country.
He described the initiative as Nigeria’s “surest pathway to a trillion-dollar economy.”
The Minister didn’t shy away from Nigeria’s challenges.
He cited the country’s poor performance in the World Bank’s Doing Business rankings for property registration — a consequence of:
- Slow, manual processes
- Fragmented, outdated paper records
- Vulnerabilities to corruption
- Tenure insecurity
- Low revenue generation despite huge potential
These issues, he said, undermine investor confidence and create hardship for ordinary Nigerians seeking secure property rights.
Dangiwa reminded participants that they stand at a turning point.
Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, land administration is no longer mere bureaucracy — it is economic reform.
He disclosed that Directors of Lands across Nigeria have been issued the Concept Note and Implementation Framework for the Land4Growth Programme, and must now guide their State Governments toward adoption and execution.
“We are not where we want to be,” he acknowledged.
“But we are no longer where we were last year. We are moving — with intention.”
The ministry is also finalizing a major partnership with the World Bank to accelerate land titling nationwide.
With strong policy direction, global collaboration, and renewed government commitment, Nigeria’s land sector is poised for transformation.
But the Minister’s message was firm and clear:
States must fund land governance if Nigeria is to unlock its full economic potential.
Land, he reminded the nation, is more than soil —
it is capital, security, opportunity, and the future.
