The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN has raised the alarm over deep-rooted structural and legal deficiencies plaguing Nigeria’s real estate ecosystem, calling for urgent and far-reaching reforms to restore investor confidence and streamline land administration.
The NBA boss, who stated this in Abuja on Wednesday, at a one-day policy dialogue on critical issues affecting Nigeria’s real estate ecosystem organised by the Law Corridor firm described the current system as “opaque, inefficient, and prone to abuse,” warning that it is pushing investors away and putting citizens at risk of losing their life savings to fraudulent or uncertain property transactions.
“People put their life savings into acquiring properties, only to discover that they have been scammed or have no valid claim to what they thought they bought,” Osigwe lamented.
He criticized the lack of a centralized, transparent database for land allocations, particularly in mass housing and accelerated development schemes.
According to him, many allottees have no clear understanding of the nature of the titles they receive, and even the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has failed to provide a comprehensive framework for integrating these developments into formal registries.
“Estate developers are acting as land registries. This lack of structure creates legal uncertainty and discourages banks from financing projects due to unclear titles,” he said.
Osigwe also mentioned the issue of arbitrary revocation of titles and the politicization of land governance, noting that public declarations by lawmakers about cancelling land titles due to unpaid ground rents further deepen fear and instability in the market.
“This kind of instability only scares away investors. In this day and age, we should be using technology to make registration and property transfers seamless,” he said and
further highlighted the challenges with ground rent payments, citing an outdated, cumbersome process that requires landowners to physically seek out demands and proof of payment before any transaction or title processing can be completed.
The NBA President called for a robust technological overhaul that would allow for digital verification of land titles, automated ground rent billing, and easy registration of ownership interests.
Osigwe urged national and state governments to review and reform administrative structures guiding land transactions, arguing that many of the problems could be solved with political will and efficient systems.
He called for stronger public-private partnerships, greater transparency, and a renewed focus on making the real estate sector a viable, secure part of Nigeria’s economic framework.
“Let’s ensure that whatever money you put into real estate is secured and that the process is seamless. That’s the only way we can build confidence in the system,” he said.
The event was attended by top government officials, developers, legal professionals, and regulatory agencies, all seeking to chart a path forward for Nigeria’s embattled real estate sector.
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