The Federal Capital Territory Administration says it has processed and signed 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-Os) since May 2023, as part of efforts to improve land administration and make property transactions easier in Abuja.
The figure was disclosed on Sunday by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media.
According to Olayinka, the number represents a significant increase compared with the volume of Certificates of Occupancy processed under previous federal administrations.
FCT accelerates land documentation
Olayinka said 26,272 C-of-Os were produced and signed under the administration of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, compared with 8,697 recorded between 2010 and 2023.
He said 5,500 Certificates of Occupancy were produced and signed during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, while 3,197 were produced during the eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The FCT Administration said many beneficiaries of the recently processed documents had received their land allocations more than a decade ago but had yet to obtain their Certificates of Occupancy.
Allottees to receive C-of-O within two weeks
According to the minister’s aide, the FCT Administration has streamlined the documentation process to reduce delays in issuing land titles.
He said land allottees who complete the required payments can now receive their Certificates of Occupancy within two weeks.
The administration has also introduced an automated notification system through which applicants are informed when their documents are ready for collection.
Olayinka said the reforms were designed to encourage landowners to complete their payments and improve confidence in the FCT’s land administration system.
More property transfer approvals issued
Beyond Certificates of Occupancy, the FCT Administration said it has also increased the processing of property-related approvals.
According to the statement, 2,521 Consents to Assign and 177 Consents to Mortgage were granted during the period under review.
A Consent to Assign is required when ownership or an interest in a property is transferred, while a Consent to Mortgage is required before a property can be used as security for a loan.
The figures compare with 753 Consents to Assign and 180 Consents to Mortgage issued during the Jonathan administration, and 684 Consents to Assign and 164 Consents to Mortgage recorded during the Buhari administration.
C-of-O fee reduced
The latest reforms follow an earlier reduction in the cost of obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy in the FCT.
In 2025, Wike announced a reduction in the fee for issuing new C-of-Os from ₦5 million to ₦3.5 million.
The revised fee applies to the issuance of new certificates and not to the re-certification of existing documents.
The minister had said the initial ₦5 million charge was a flat fee regardless of the size or location of the plot.
FCT seeks to improve property transactions
The administration said the reforms are part of efforts to improve the ease of doing business in the nation’s capital and strengthen the property market.
The FCT has experienced increased demand for land and housing as road construction and other infrastructure projects open up areas on the outskirts of Abuja.
Faster access to land documents could also make it easier for property owners to sell, transfer or use their assets as collateral for financing.
Wike warns against fake land documents
The minister had previously warned against multiple allocations and fraudulent Certificates of Occupancy in the FCT.
Wike said the administration was working to end situations where several people were allegedly allocated the same plot of land or issued fake documents.
The linking of applicants’ National Identification Numbers to land documentation has also been proposed as part of efforts to strengthen the identification and verification process.
The latest increase in C-of-O processing therefore marks a broader attempt by the FCT Administration to make land documentation faster, improve transparency and reduce bottlenecks affecting property owners and investors in Abuja.
