By embracing technology, the Lagos State Government’s property registration reforms have significantly boosted property administration across the state, according to a report by the Federal Government.
The report by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) indicates that the reforms in Lagos State have significantly streamlined the property registration process by enabling online payments, automating procedures, and reducing fees.
The total time required to register property in Lagos State has reduced from 105 days to 76 days while the total number of procedures required to register a property has reduced from 12 to 8, in one of several outcomes of the reforms by the Lagos State Government, according to the PEBEC report.
The total time required to register property in Lagos State has reduced from 105 days to 76 days while the total number of procedures required to register a property has reduced from 12 to 8, in one of several outcomes of the reforms by the Lagos State Government, according to the PEBEC report.
Prior to the reform, the report says, applicants seeking to register property in Lagos State faced numerous bureaucratic hurdles, including multiple fee payments and visits to the Land Registry. However, the reform initiative has simplified this process by introducing online payment options, streamlining procedures, and reducing associated charges.
This reform is part of the broader efforts led by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), established in July 2016 by the Federal Government to enhance Nigeria’s business environment. PEBEC’s mandate is twofold: to eliminate bureaucratic and legislative obstacles to conducting business and to enhance the perception of Nigeria as a business-friendly country. The ultimate goal is to reduce the time, cost, and procedure of starting and operating a business, thereby improving overall efficiency.
In a recent development, the Lagos State Lands Bureau announced the launch of an online application tracking service in January 2024. This service allows customers to monitor the progress of their applications or transactions that are being processed by the Bureau. By using their email address and a unique tracking code generated during the initial application submission, customers can easily track their applications.
This online tracking feature is part of the State Wide Integrated Land Administration & Property Tax Solution for Lagos State which the Lagos State Government sees as represents a customer-centric approach to enhance the registration process for both customers and Lands Bureau employees. Through this online database, applications sent to the Lands Bureau can be efficiently processed and tracked, to further improve the overall customer experience.
Lagos State: Impact of reform of property registration
1.Demand notices from Lands Bureau now obtainable electronically.
2. Demand notices for registration fees, consent fees, neighbourhood improvement charges are now sent to applicants via email.
3. Reduced process time from 3 days to half a day.
4.Certified True Copies (CTC) of title document and survey plan now obtained at the Land registry automated centre.
5. Applicants can now submit and track applications for CTC at the Land registry automated centre.
6. CTC print out can be obtained within 2 hours.
7. Reduced process time from between 3-5 days to 12 hours.
8. Combined payment of all fees via an online portal.
9. Payment of charting fee, endorsement fee, stamp duty, registration fee, consent fee, neighbourhood can now be paid on the MPAY platform of the Lands Bureau website.
10. Reduced process timing from 1 day to half a day (12 hours).
11. Stamping of deed assignment as an internal procedure in the stamp duty office within the Lands Bureau
12. Stamping of the deed of assignment is now done with the “Registration of Certificate of Occupancy or Deed and Title conferred” procedure.
13. Reduced process time to less than 24 hours.
14. Single filing database for property by the Lands Bureau and cadastral mapping by the Office of the State Surveyor General (OSSG).
15. The Lands Bureau and OSSG office can now process and track files based on a single unique file identification number.
16. Acceptance of the use of the National Identity Management system to verify the identity of citizens.
17. National Identity cards can now be used as a means of identification via the National Identity database.
18. Access to information on land disputes and properties with pending court cases.
19. Information of land dispute-related statistics in Lagos and the list of properties with unresolved court cases are provided by the Lands Bureau and the Ministry of Justice via the Lagos Lis-Pendens Electronic System.
Outcomes
1. Total time required to register property has reduced from 105 days to 76 days.
2. Total number of procedures required to register a property has reduced from 12 to 8.
PEBEC says that the reform is a National Action Plan (NAP) created to set out priorities, actions and commitments regarding registration property and others for civil society and multilateral institutions to engage in consultation with, track and assess the actions of the government in implementing its commitments.
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