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VOL. 10, ISSUE 3 (2024)
Legal issues and challenges militating against seamless land registration in Nigeria
Authors
Ahiakwo Grace Abraham, Amadi Jerry
Abstract
Land registration may refer to the
registration of land title documents or the registration of title to land. It
commences with obtaining traditional receipt of payment from the land vendor,
preparation of Deed of Transfer by the Purchaser’s Lawyer, payment of stamp
duties to State Internal Revenue (if two parties are individuals) or Federal
Internal Revenue (if one of the parties is a company), obtaining of Governor’s
consent and registration of the land at the Land Registry or on the
Geographical information system portal. The traditional objectives of Land
registration law includes to give certainty of title to the land; facilitate
the proof of land title thereof; and render the dealings with land more simple
and economical. Land registration helps government know who lives where and who
owns what so that they can manage land resources optimally and for taxation
purposes. Land registration also helps general public know with clarity who
lives where and who owns which parcel of land so that they can be secured when
buying, selling, leasing, mortgaging or otherwise dealing with real property
transactions. Most purchasers of land used to save financial resources for many
years before they are able to purchase land, but after the purchase and payment
for the land, some may find it difficult to raise money to perfect title to the
land. The Article found out that cost of preparing a Deed of Transfer, cost of
stamp duty/capital gain tax, duration of registration has presented a huge
challenge that has militated against land registration in Nigeria. To this end,
the article recommended amongst other things the need for all the State
Government in Nigeria to embrace the Geographical information system (GIS) and
make it functional as GIS will reduce the cost of land registration, eradicate
the high incidence of corruption, curb the reported cases of missing of land
files in traditional land registries and will streamline the duration of land
registration in Nigeria.
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Pages:70-74
How to cite this article:
Ahiakwo Grace Abraham, Amadi Jerry "Legal issues and challenges militating against seamless land registration in Nigeria". International Journal of Law, Vol 10, Issue 3, 2024, Pages 70-74
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