President, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Akintoye Adeoye, has charged the government at the federal and state levels to address bureaucratic bottleneck in land administration.

He argued that the process of land titling, registration and obtaining Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) is often marred by delays, inefficiency, and a lack of transparency.

Adeoye made the call in an interview with The Guardian in Lagos. He explained that while the Land Use Act (LUA) provides a clear legal framework, poor implementation by government officials remains a major obstacle.

To this end, he appealed to the government to simplify, digitise, and streamline these processes to ensure timely and cost-effective access to land.

Additionally, he insisted that land should serve as a tool to promote housing development, not merely as a revenue-generation mechanism for states.

He lamented the pressing issue of indiscriminate demolition of housing projects in some states, warning that demolitions, particularly during times of economic difficulty, only worsen the housing deficit and squander limited resources.

Adeoye warned that unjustified demolitions must be avoided to safeguard investments and uphold citizens’ fundamental right to adequate shelter.

According to him, access to affordable funding remains one of the greatest hurdles for developers, explaining that double-digit interest rates offered by commercial banks are unsustainable for housing projects, driving up construction costs and making homes unaffordable for the average Nigerian.