SANWO-OLU DIRECTS FULL EXCISION ON UNTITLED LAND IN LAGOS TO CURB LAND GRABBING

• Governor: ‘Those sabotaging e-GIS system to be purged out of Govt’

• Monthly tenancy set to kick off in Lagos

The incessant issue of land grabbing may become a thing of the past anytime soon in Lagos State, as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu orders complete excision on untitled land across the State.

The Governor’s directive represents a major turning point in land administration in Lagos, as the exercise would enable the State Government to carry out documented delineation on communal land and land owned by the families. At the end of the exercise, the issues of land grabbing by thugs working for land owners are expected to be curbed.

Sanwo-Olu gave the order at the Lagos Real Estate Market Place Conference and Exhibitions organised by the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island. The two-day event with the theme: “Lagos: 21st Century Real Estate Investment Hub”, is the second edition to be held by the agency.

Land is a limited asset in Lagos, which is a coastal State. Activities of land-grabbers have created an unpredictable climate in land acquisition in Lagos, robbing private real estate investors and individuals of fortunes.

Sanwo-Olu said a technical committee will be set up to fine-tune the framework for the excision process on untitled land, with the objective to granting Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) to land owners for transparent sales of the asset.

The Governor condemned an effort by State officials to frustrate and sabotage the full take-off of the State’s Enterprise Geographic Information System (e-GIS) project initiated to automate approval of land surveys and allocation titles in one talk shop. Sanwo-Olu issued a stern warning, saying he would be ruthless in purging out saboteurs in the ranks of Government.

He said: “One of the issues we are working on is the ownership of land. There is a large parcel of land across Lagos that doesn't have the Government title.

“It is to announce to this gathering that I’ve made up my mind that we are going to do excision for untitled land. This process will kick off next year and we will set up a committee whose composition will represent all traditional divisions in Lagos. With equity and fairness, we will yield proper titles on all the land, so that the issue of land grabbing can be reduced to minimum.

“We will also be carrying out genuine reform in our Survey Department. We need to have our e-GIS platform up and running after 10 years that it was initiated. I’m expressing my disappointment in some Government officials sabotaging these efforts. I will look for the culprits and I will be ruthless in meting out punishment. I will ensure these saboteurs have no place in my Government.”

By next year, Sanwo-Olu said a new policy of monthly tenancy on property occupancy would kick off in Lagos. The concept, he said, is not to punish the landlord or reduce the expected revenue of the property owner.

He said monthly tenancy would ease off pressure of yearly rent on tenants, as the new policy is designed to make people pay their rents according to their monthly earnings. The policy, Sanwo-Olu said, emanated from an agreement reached by association of tenants, consortium of financiers and the Government.

Addressing the cause of high affordability of property in Lagos, the Governor said the State’s partnership with the private sector had raised the housing stock but added that non-availability of long-tenure mortgage bonds made it impossible for low-income earners to benefit.

The Government, he said, is thinking out of the box to design a financing model that would reduce burden on mortgage applicants, while also charging real estate developers to reduce the cost of developing property by engaging local competence for skills outsourced to foreigners.

He said: “We should not just build property only for consumers, we must also build skills and integrate them in our built environment to showcase great output. Technical and vocational skills are things we must deliberately harness and reflect in our work. At the end of the day, we must be able to design a housing development and ownership model that is fit for our purpose and peculiar to our local needs.”

Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, said real estate remained the most sought after investment, noting that the market, apart from creating sustainable jobs, also has the highest potential of growing the economy of any nation.

She said the State Government realised the need for investors and consumers to know policies put in place and how the knowledge of all the policies could assist stakeholders in making informed decisions in investing in the real estate market.

Benson-Awoyinka said: “As a Government, we have realised this fact and as such, have been making business friendly policies that can assist would-be investors and consumers to operate in a conducive business environment. LASRERA has strengthened its efforts to make this sector more vibrant by ensuring that practitioners operate within the ambit of the law.

“The agency has registered over 100 individuals and organisations that approached the Government to regularise their operations with us. We have seen positive results from this undertaking, as the State, through the LASRERA, has resolved several reported cases of fraudulent practices brought to the attention of the agency in a very professional manner.”

As regulator, the Special Adviser urged investors and consumers to make LASRERA their first point of contact before investing in real estate in any part of Lagos.

There was a panel discussion with the theme: “How the real estate sector can drive social implications and opportunities in Lagos”, moderated by the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Sam Egube.

Audience at the conference comprised stakeholders in the built industry, including property developers, landlords, market facilitators and potential property buyers.

The stakeholders agreed that the Government's primary business in the real estate sector must be maintenance of rule of law and effective regulations to protect investors and consumers.

Stakeholders also called for improvement in housing finance and introduction of affordable insurance policy in the sector.

They said LASRERA, as the regulator, should be an enabler that must make the market happen and not be a police in the sector. They urged the Government to resolve issues around titling of property to bring back confidence in the real estate market.

https://lagosstate.gov.ng/blog/2021/12/07/sanwo-olu-directs-full-excision-on-untitled-land-in-lagos-to-curb-land-grabbing/

Fp straight

My properties in Lekki have been vacant for years now cos I don't want tenants headaches. But now monthly rentals seem like a good idea cos I can kick tenants out in days if they pay monthly and default on safety standards.

Lagos is always ahead

Pls how can I get myself into real estate in Lagos?
I need a mentor cos I can sight the future sitting down there

It is not by making laws here and there... are they willing to enforce these laws?

Mr Sanwo-olu.....let your actions speaks more!

It's not enough to just speak without actions...the issue of Okada menace comes to mind...They are still very active on Lagos routes where they are supposedly banned on paper!

Leave 2023 elections alone, and do the needful...Lagos State needs action governor..please act!

I hear

Welcome development


The only issue is the feasibility of monthly tenancy



Landlords especially those on the Mainland we fight this policy

point and "kill" governor... lol ...

u talk one... na another thing go happen oh.... like say nor be Lagos again wen get more than one "governor"...

Badgers14:
It is not by making laws here and there... are they willing to enforce these laws?

Laws wey lagos get ehn, everywhere suppose sane. Enforcement na big problem

Na today? Talk is cheap. Implementation is key but how possible is all these in Nigeria of today where d land grabbers share d loot, even to d so-called traditional rulers&politicians.

Ma true...

Tinubu has grabbed more land than any thugs in Lagos.His current house in bourdillon belongs to the government.Some of the lands he built his businesses and houses belongs to the government and poor lagosians that he forcefully seized using his political godfatherism.Tinubu doesn't pay land use charges on those properties.Ask the former MD of alpha-beta.

I don't understand how this monthly tenancy works

What will happen when he vacates the seat

I just love this man.. He's truly divine. He faced alot and he conquered

If na Lagos, no level

ActuaRise696969:
My properties in Lekki have been vacant for years now cos I don't want tenants headaches. But now monthly rentals seem like a good idea cos I can kick tenants out in days if they pay monthly and default on safety standards.

Lagos is always ahead

You are wrong Sir!
The bolded is not true at all.

Even when they pay monthly, according to the Tenancy Law of Lagos State, you will still need to give them one Months Notice, to quit, on default of payment,
And after that, if the tenant refuse to submit your keys, you still need to serve another ONE WEEK Notice of 'Owners intention to recover Property'.
And if after that they still refuse to Submit your keys, you swill still need to file a Suit to recover your Property with the Courts and this may take Weeks!
Even after that, you still need to pay your Lawyer to serve the tenant and he may be dodging you!
Even after that, you might still need to apply to the Court, to serve the tenant by substituted means, that may take weeks to get such Court Approval.
Even at that, dont forget that the Court registrars will demand for Bribe, to offer you the necessary forms to file otherwise they would pretend they dont know what you are talking about, when you ask for Form 3C!
Even after that, the Court still needs to fix a date for hearing, that may take weeks, depending on the schedule of the Court (except Govt creates a Special Rent tribunal to dispatch Rent cases within Two Weeks, as done in other Countries).

What l am saying is that, this is a very bad move by the Govt.
For those who pay annually, some of them still default in payment, despite having a whole year to prepare for such payments.
Now, imagine if you have to go to such tenant every month, to ask for Payment!
Imagine, if the tenant is even a "self employed" or trader, whose Cash-Flow is very unpredictable?
It will be another Gulf War, between Landlord and Tenant, on a Monthly basis.

Sanwo Olu himself does not rent out his House on Monthly basis and neither does the State Govt rent out their Houses on Monthly basis, they sell them to people because they know the kind of headache that is involved in trying to make Nigerians pay for their Rent,

This sort pf populist Policy will make life harder for tenants, as House Owners will just insist on long Term Leases, for their Property, which is allowed by the tenancy Law of Lagos State and does not involve all the nonsense being proposed.

Lagosfinder:
Welcome development


The only issue is the feasibility of monthly tenancy



Landlords especially those on the Mainland we fight this policy

Even you, by your Comment, you are already fighting it.

this untitled land excision is what I will like to understand better.

Am very sure that monthly tenancy payment no go work, until most of una apc stakeholders leave developer work and remember say na all of them be d landlord wey dey support the party with the little money they see from real estate and inconveniencing their tenants @ grassroots.... It can go a long way on the island but broda tunde, forget mainland coz dem go use agreement and commission finish person... Make dem no play u ambode season 2 for no reason.. Ask fashola about no collection of 2years rent . Dem don dey collect 3... ..... Eko O Ni Baje oooo...

Anything law dey hard to understand, until dem make law compulsory for secondary school..
.Common excision don cause problem here

Nice one from our pointing governor aka Pointus Pilate meanwhile....


“Now, one thing I tell everyone is learn about real estate. Repeat after me: real estate provides the highest returns, the greatest values and the least risk.” - Armstrong Williams, entrepreneur

IN NIGERIA, Land Selling fraud has reached high heaven.
And all centred on corruption, wickedness Greed and worship of money.
We have seen a situation where a Genuine land owner will plan with someone, to sell his land.
And After selling it, they both share the money.
But this genuine owner will come one day again to claim his land, so it turns to legal Battle.
And at the end, the genuine owner win his case. And the buyer loss his hard earned money, Not knowing its a plan game to defraud him.
But all states government should find lasting solution to this, its not happening in developed nation.
The world has developed.
All land can be registered with government, so in the nearest future, two or more people can not lay claim to a land.

We have all these good policies from the time of fashola but no enforcement nothing after a week people will start doing anyhow again

Enforcement is the key

Here in Grand Popo, Benin Republic I pay my house rents monthly and we're used to it.

Useless killers. The blood of the innocent you killed at Lekki Toll Gate will not let you rest

Badgers14:
It is not by making laws here and there... are they willing to enforce these laws?

In ur village enforcement comes before the law

ENGINEERG:

etc, etc, etc
But all states government should find lasting solution to this, its not happening in developed nation.
The world has developed.
All land can be registered with government, so in the nearest future, two or more people can not lay claim to a land.

You have raised very good and valid points.
But you will be surprised that it is the same Govt that is making the above DIFFICULT and even IMPOSSIBLE.

When Govt put so much money on Documentation and registering Title to Land in Lagos, it drives the people away from doing such activity.
You buy small land for say #3M and to apply and get the C-of-O, Givt is demanding like over #5M?
Does that make sense to the Owner, to spend such Money on C-of-O or just use it to do his Foundation and keep an eye on his land?
Lagos Govt does not even put in opportunity to pay the humongous fees, installmentally.

Why would anyone who is in serious need of accommodation and manages to buy a land, go and deposit such Money with Govt, to get Title, while still living under a Bridge with his family or just squatting wirth a friend or even homeless?

What Govt should do is streamline the process to obtain Title to once own Land, monitor and remove all those APC land Officials that will not do their job except they are given bribes running into hundreds of Thousands and reduce drastically, the cost of obtaining such Title and even make payment instalmental, this will urge a lot of people to go and obtain their title afterall, it is to their advantage.

But trying to use style to steal people's unTitled land, by calling it Excision! (How can use Excise a land that was bought from an already existing Excision?)

Mr. Point & Kill shou;d stop looking fro trouble with all these Anti-People Policies that he wants to use to con people of Lagos, e nor go work o.
I am sure the people are smarter now and will wait for him and APC, at the Polling Booth.
Eko nor go ba je o.