ABUJA — The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has produced and signed 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office, surpassing the 8,697 issued during the preceding 13 years.
The development, according to the FCTA, is part of efforts by the administration of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to ease access to property documentation and improve the business environment in Abuja.
The figures were disclosed in a statement issued yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
According to the statement, 8,697 C-of-Os were produced and signed between 2010 and 2023, comprising 5,500 under former President Goodluck Jonathan and 3,197 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In contrast, the FCTA said 26,272 C-of-Os had been produced and signed under the Tinubu administration, with many of the beneficiaries having received their land allocations more than 10 years ago.
The administration said the availability of title documents would help property owners and businesses access commercial loans, mortgages and funds for expansion.
Olayinka said the FCTA had streamlined the process, enabling land allottees to receive their C-of-Os within two weeks of completing the required payments.
“The moment necessary payments are made, land allottees can now get their C-of-O within two weeks,” he said.
He added that an automated notification system had also been introduced to alert allottees when their documents were ready for collection.
Olayinka attributed previous delays to inefficiencies that discouraged some landowners from completing payments for their properties.
The FCTA further disclosed that 2,521 Consents to Assign and 177 Consents to Mortgage had been granted during the last three years of the Tinubu administration.
This compares with 753 Consents to Assign and 180 Consents to Mortgage issued under the Jonathan administration, as well as 684 Consents to Assign and 164 Consents to Mortgage granted during the Buhari administration.
A Consent to Assign is a legal approval required for the transfer or sale of a property, while a Consent to Mortgage is required before a property can be used as collateral for a loan.
The FCTA said the reforms were designed to improve land administration, strengthen property documentation and support businesses and economic activities in the nation’s capital.
