By Ben Adoga, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has processed and signed 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-Os) since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office, representing a significant increase in property documentation compared with previous administrations.
The figure, according to the FCT Administration, is part of efforts to clear longstanding backlogs, improve the ease of doing business and enable property owners to unlock the financial value of their assets.
A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said only 8,697 C-of-Os were produced and signed between 2010 and 2023.
According to the statement, 5,500 C-of-Os were processed during the five-and-a-half-year administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. At the same time, 3,197 were produced during the eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The FCT Administration said the sharp increase under the Tinubu administration reflected measures introduced to simplify property documentation and reduce administrative delays.
It disclosed that applicants who complete the required payments can now obtain their C-of-Os within two weeks.
“The moment necessary payments are made, land allottees can now get their C-of-O within two weeks,” Olayinka said.
The administration has also introduced automated notifications to alert applicants when their title documents are ready for collection.
According to the FCT, a significant number of beneficiaries of the newly processed C-of-Os had received their land allocations many years ago but were unable to secure the corresponding title documents.
The administration said clearing the backlog would strengthen property ownership, facilitate investment and make titled assets more useful to their owners.
A C-of-O provides legal documentation of interest in land and can also assist property owners seeking access to mortgages and other forms of financing.
The FCT Administration further disclosed that the Tinubu era had recorded increases in other property transactions, including 2,521 Consents to Assign and 177 Consents to Mortgage.
By comparison, the Jonathan administration recorded 753 Consents to Assign and 180 Consents to Mortgage, while the Buhari administration recorded 684 Consents to Assign and 164 Consents to Mortgage.
A Consent to Assign is required for the transfer of interest in a property, while a Consent to Mortgage enables a property owner to use the asset as security for a loan.
The administration said the reforms were designed to address bureaucratic bottlenecks that had previously delayed property documentation and discouraged landowners from completing the processes required to secure their titles.
It maintained that faster processing of land documents would improve transparency, facilitate investment and contribute to a more efficient property market in the nation’s capital.
The FCT Administration said the reforms remained part of broader efforts to improve service delivery, strengthen the investment environment and make property ownership in Abuja more efficient and commercially viable.
