“Develop Your Land Within Two Years or Lose It, Pay All Fees in 21 Days” – Wike Announces Sweeping FCT Land Reforms Effective April 21, 2025
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has announced major reforms to land administration in the FCT, including a strict new rule that mandates the revocation of any undeveloped plot two years after the issuance of a Right of Occupancy (R-of-O).
The announcement was made during a press conference in Abuja by the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, and the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
The reforms, which take effect from April 21, 2025, will impact several key areas:
- Grant conditions for Statutory Rights of Occupancy
- Contents of the Statutory R-of-O Bill
- Acceptance or refusal letters
- Titling for Mass Housing and sectional interests
- Regularization of Area Council land documents
According to Nwankwoeze, the absence of a defined payment deadline and lack of penalties for delayed payments have led to lost revenues, slow development, land speculation, and repeated public notices.
To tackle this, allottees will now have 21 days from the date of an offer to:
- Pay all required fees, rents, and charges in full
- Submit a completed letter of acceptance and evidence of payment
Failure to meet this timeline will render the offer invalid.
In addition, any allocated land must be fully developed within two years of receiving the R-of-O, or risk revocation.
On Area Council land, the director reiterated that all FCT land is classified as urban, and any documents issued by Area Councils must be regularized into statutory titles. He revealed that out of 261,914 documents submitted since 2006, only 2,358 have been successfully processed—just 3.2% of the total.
All successfully vetted Area Council lands will be granted statutory titles, and beneficiaries must pay all associated charges within 60 days or lose the allocation.
For Mass Housing, where only 2 out of 445 developers have met their obligations since the programme began in 2000, a new framework is being introduced to streamline titling and enforce compliance.
Most Mass Housing residents currently do not pay government dues despite long-term occupancy. From April 21, 2025, all title applications must be submitted by developers or subscribers for proper documentation.
The Minister’s sweeping reforms aim to restore transparency, ensure timely development, and boost confidence in land administration across the FCT.
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 Minister, Nyesom Wike, has announced major reforms to land administration in the FCT, including a strict new rule that mandates the revocation of any undeveloped plot two years after the issuance of a Right of Occupancy (R-of-O).){kind=link}