The Federal Government has suspended all approved, pending, and planned land allocation applications and Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) on islands and lagoons.
These applications must now be resubmitted to the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF) for proper coordination.
This directive follows a presidential order issued by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on July 30, 2025.
Surveyor-General Abduganiyu Adegbomehin announced the suspension to ensure alignment with the Federal Infrastructural Master Plan and adherence to the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Policy (NGDI).
The government warned that any developments encroaching on rights-of-way or carried out without proper survey coordination will be demolished.
Furthermore, land approvals granted outside the Presidency or OSGOF, including irregular or backdated titles issued by other agencies, will be revoked.
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), which had granted approvals for shoreline and lagoon projects, is now directed to submit all such approvals to the Presidency through OSGOF and to cease issuing new permits.
The statement reminded the public that, under the Survey Coordination Act, Cap S13, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, OSGOF is the sole body responsible for regulating, standardizing, and harmonizing all survey activities nationwide.
This order builds on previous warnings, including a December 2024 ultimatum by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, who condemned unregulated developments along the Lagos shoreline and gave developers a one-month deadline to regularize their projects or face demolition.
President Tinubu’s July 2025 directive suspending all land allocations and reclamation activities on islands, lagoons, and coastal corridors across Nigeria consolidates these earlier measures to enforce proper land use and development control.
