The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration says land allottees can now receive Certificates of Occupancy within two weeks of making required payments, as 26,272 documents have been signed since May 2023.
The figure, released on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, is 17,575 higher than the 8,697 Certificates of Occupancy signed between 2010 and 2023.
The new process is aimed at reducing delays in property documentation in Abuja and helping landowners use their properties to secure loans, mortgages and business funding.
Old land allocations finally get documents
Olayinka said many of the beneficiaries among the 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy signed under FCT Minister Nyesom Wike received their land allocations more than 10 years ago.
A Certificate of Occupancy, commonly called C-of-O, is an official document showing a person’s interest in a piece of land. It can also be used as collateral when seeking commercial loans, mortgages or funds for business expansion.
The FCT Administration said delays in getting the documents could limit access to such funding, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.
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To reduce waiting time, the administration introduced an automated notification system. Land allottees are informed when their documents are ready for collection.
“The moment necessary payments are made, land allottees can now get their C-of-O within two weeks. Also, an automated notification has been introduced to ensure that land allottees are informed when their documents are ready for collection,” Olayinka said.
He attributed delays under previous administrations to inefficiencies that discouraged some landowners from completing their payments.
The FCT Administration said the faster process is intended to make property documentation easier and help landowners gain access to business financing.
Other property approvals rise
The number of Certificates of Occupancy signed under Wike’s tenure also exceeds the combined figures recorded during the administrations of Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.
The FCT Administration said 5,500 Certificates of Occupancy were produced and signed during Jonathan’s five-and-a-half-year administration.
Under Buhari, 3,197 were produced and signed during his eight years in office.
Together, the two administrations recorded 8,697 Certificates of Occupancy between 2010 and 2023.
The FCT Administration also reported higher figures for Consents to Assign during the first three years of the Tinubu administration.
A Consent to Assign is needed when an interest in a property is transferred to another person.
The FCT recorded 2,521 Consents to Assign during the first three years of the Tinubu administration, compared with 753 under Jonathan and 684 under Buhari.
The administration also granted 177 Consents to Mortgage during the same three-year period.
A Consent to Mortgage is required before a property can be used as collateral for a loan.
The Jonathan administration recorded 180 Consents to Mortgage, while 164 were granted under Buhari.
The FCT Administration said the property documentation measures are intended to improve access to land documents and make it easier for property owners to use their assets to secure financing.
The figures were released as part of the FCT Administration’s account of property documentation under Wike since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.
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