Shehu Usman Osidi, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), has praised the National Land Registration and Documentation Programme (NLRDP) initiated by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, led by Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, in partnership with the World Bank. Osidi emphasized the initiative’s potential to enhance mortgage accessibility and promote financial inclusion in Nigeria.
Speaking at a workshop held on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Osidi described the NLRDP as a vital step toward increasing confidence in the real estate sector and stimulating housing finance activities. He stated, “A well-structured and digitized land administration system will reduce transaction costs, improve transparency, enhance credit security, and stimulate housing finance activities.”
Osidi highlighted the initiative’s significant benefits for effective housing delivery, noting its ability to facilitate seamless title registrations, which are crucial for mortgage creation and access to housing and construction finance. “The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, as Nigeria’s foremost provider of affordable housing finance, recognizes the importance of efficient land registration and documentation in enhancing mortgage accessibility and promoting financial inclusion,” he added.
In alignment with the NLRDP, FMBN is also working on establishing the National Mortgage Registry (NMR), which involves the development of a digital platform known as the NMR App, currently in the testing phase. This initiative is part of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to facilitate property transactions and enhance the housing and urban development sector.
Osidi reaffirmed FMBN’s commitment to strategic collaborations with government agencies, the private sector, and other partners to create a comprehensive, efficient, and technology-driven land administration system in Nigeria. He praised the Housing Ministry for organizing the workshop and expressed optimism that the successful implementation of the NLRDP would lead to a robust land administration framework, reduce litigation cases, and boost investor confidence in the real estate sector.
The Minister of Housing outlined plans to establish a National Digital Land Information System (NDLIS) to centralize and digitize land records, thereby reducing bureaucracy and curbing corruption in land transactions. He noted the initiative’s potential to unlock Nigeria’s dead capital, estimated at over $300 billion, and affirmed the goal to increase formal land transactions from less than 10% to over 50% within a decade.
The workshop aimed to educate participants on the NLRDP’s benefits and garner support from all states for its successful implementation. Attendees included key stakeholders from the housing, real estate, and mortgage banking sectors, as well as the Senate Committee Chairman for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and the House Committee Chairman on Public Assets, Hon. Ademorin Kuye.
