The Nasarawa State Government has called on citizens to protect their properties by prioritising immediate registration with the Nasarawa Geographic Information System (NAGIS).
This is part of the government’s campaign against land speculators and land grabbers.
The State Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Barr. David Moyi, stated this on Monday during the monthly ministerial briefing broadcast live from the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS) in Lafia.
Speaking during the broadcast, Barr. Moyi lamented that a significant number of land disputes in the state stem from landowners’ reluctance to formally register their properties.
Moyi also disclosed that ongoing discussions are being held with the State Attorney General to formulate a dedicated Anti-Land Grabbing Law to enable the direct prosecution of offenders.
He noted that lands excluded from the NAGIS database create an entry point for fraudsters.
“The major problem we have is that a lot of people are not interested in registering their lands. The moment land grabbers realise these lands have not been registered, they find a way to forge sales agreements, obtain local government change of ownership, and come to the ministry to conduct a survey.
“The ministry and NAGIS are legally bound to process applications that appear clean. Original owners who fail to register often discover encumbrances only years later when they attempt registration,” he said.
The Commissioner revealed that he recently completed a sensitization tour across all 13 LGAs of the state to engage traditional rulers, including village and district heads who endorse initial land transactions.
“Traditional leaders have now been instructed to enforce strict verification measures before signing any document,” he said.
Moyi noted that the tour has already yielded positive results, with marked improvement in the completeness and legitimacy of documents submitted to his office.
Despite fears of bureaucratic bottlenecks, Barr. Moyi assured the public that securing land titles in Nasarawa State is now faster and more affordable than ever.
He revealed that under the current administration, Governor Abdullahi Sule has signed over 8,000 Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) and Rights of Occupancy (R of O), averaging more than 1,000 per year.
The Commissioner further disclosed that the ministry is currently grappling with heavy litigation, having received over 30 court summons on land disputes since he assumed office.
“By the grace of God, if we are able to complete the computerization process and curb the activities of land grabbers to the barest minimum, my joy will be complete,” Moyi added.
On his part, the State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Ibrahim Tanko, emphasised that the live briefing format was designed to equip the public with vital, actionable information to prevent legal vulnerabilities.
Dr. Tanko stated that his ministry is working to keep government web portals active to ensure that the historical achievements and activities of state administrations from 1999 to date are digitally accessible to citizens.
He called on members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nasarawa State Council, the Correspondents’ Chapel, and the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) to partner with government in educating the public on land registration.
Tanko also challenged the media to be proactive rather than reactive in their reportage.
“You do not have to wait until something happens within these ministries. This is the rainy season; we need to focus on agriculture. Let’s see what is happening. Don’t wait for the Ministry of Agriculture to invite you to the Government House for fertiliser distribution before you start reporting on agriculture,” he said.
He pledged to scale up community-level sensitisation to ensure both rural and urban dwellers understand their land rights and the necessity of immediate title registration.
