By Olanrewaju Peters
Nigeria is standing at the edge of a decisive moment in its fight against corruption in land administration—and the resistance from entrenched interests is both alarming and unacceptable.
For decades, federal land administration has been reduced to a marketplace of illegality. Multiple titles—sometimes up to eight—have been fraudulently issued over a single parcel of land. Fake surveys have been manufactured by compromised officials. Federal shorelines across Lagos—Banana Island, Osborne Foreshore, Lagos Lagoon, Orange Island, Water Lagoon, Oworoahoki Lagoon, and the Onikoyi waterfront—have been recklessly encroached upon and unlawfully developed.
Public land has been privatised through backdoor dealings. Government revenue has been diverted into private pockets. Lands already committed to federal infrastructure have been illegally reallocated.
Let us be clear: this is not administrative failure—this is organized corruption.
Under Section 5(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), executive powers are vested in the President to ensure the execution of laws and protection of federal assets.
In line with this constitutional duty, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took bold and necessary action to sanitize the system by strengthening the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation (OSGOF).
At the inauguration of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the President issued an unequivocal directive:
All federal landed assets—including shorelines, rights of way, setbacks, and cadastral records—must come under the control and supervision of the Surveyor General of the Federation.
This directive is not open to interpretation. It is not optional.
It is binding.
By further administrative alignment under the Presidency through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Surveyor General now operates at the highest level of national oversight—alongside institutions such as the EFCC, DSS, and ICPC.
The legal position is unassailable:
• Section 315(5)(d) preserves the Land Use Act with constitutional force.
• Sections 1(1) and 1(3) affirm the supremacy of the Constitution over all persons and authorities.
No ministry. No governor. No traditional institution.
No individual—no matter how highly placed—can override a lawful presidential directive on federal assets.
Resistance: Coordinated attacks
Despite this clear legal framework, there is a disturbing and coordinated effort to frustrate this reform.
Elements within the Federal Ministry of Housing—an institution that has largely failed in addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit but has instead become deeply entangled in questionable land allocations worth trillions of naira—have continued to operate in defiance of lawful authority.
The Federal Ministry of Works, alongside powerful actors within Lagos State—including certain traditional rulers and politically connected businessmen—have joined in this resistance.
This is no longer bureaucracy.
This is sabotage.
There is credible evidence of:
• Sponsored petitions designed to derail reform
• Coordinated blackmail campaigns
• Attempts to intimidate and undermine the Office of the Surveyor General
If proven, these actions amount to:
• Abuse of office
• Obstruction of lawful duty
• Conspiracy against the authority of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Enough is enough
While these forces operate in the shadows, the Office of the Surveyor General has continued to uphold the law—enforcing critical regulations, including the 150-meter coastal setback, and restoring sanity to federal land management.
But reform cannot survive where illegality is protected.
We must now ask:
Who are these actors serving? Certainly not Nigeria. Certainly not the law.
Our position
We state, without ambiguity:
The directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on federal land administration is lawful, constitutional, and binding.
Any individual, ministry, or authority acting contrary to this directive is acting illegally and against the interests of the Nigerian State.
Our demands
1. Immediate and total compliance by the Federal Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Works, and all related agencies with the presidential directive.
2. An end to all forms of institutional sabotage, including frivolous petitions and blackmail against the Office of the Surveyor General.
3. Immediate investigation and prosecution of all individuals and entities involved in fraudulent land allocations and illegal developments.
4. All beneficiaries of незакон allocations in Banana Island, Ikoyi, Oworo, Ikate, Oniru, and other affected areas must submit for lawful regularization—or face revocation and enforcement actions.
Nigeria cannot continue to operate a system where illegality is rewarded and reform is resisted.
This is more than a policy dispute.
It is a battle for the soul of governance.
The choice before us is simple:
Rule of law or rule of impunity.
We stand with the Constitution.
We stand with accountability.
We stand with Nigeria.
The writer, Olanrewaju Peters, is a member of Coalition Against Land Corruption
