Author(s): M.A. EBIKAKA-NWANYANWU & SAM, IMO BENJAMIN| Volume 20 (1)Dec., 2023
Abstract
The land registration process in Nigeria brushes on all factors involved in registering land transactions from the systems involved, benefits of registration, the procedure for registration, requirement for the registration, challenges faced and so many others. This article examined electronic land registration and property transactions in Nigeria. Among others, the objectives of the article were to establish the extent to which electronic land registration and property transactions have been implemented in Nigeria; ascertain how electronic land registration and property transactions have impacted on the Nigerian economy; examine the challenges of electronic land registration and property transactions in Nigeria. In the course of writing this article, the doctrinal research methodology was employed wherein both primary and secondary sources were relied upon. The article found that there is lack of training and re-training of the staff of the relevant Ministry to keep them abreast with the latest development in Land Registration and there is no uniform Land Registration procedure for the whole country. It concluded that it is convincingly clear that land registration leads to better access to formal credit, higher land values, higher output and income from land, and increased investment in land/landed property. Hence, the registration of title to land affords the investor enforceable right over the investment, while guaranteeing unambiguous and authentic information on individual plots to enhance investment. The article recommended that there should be training and re-training of the staff members of relevant Ministries so as to keep them abreast of the latest development in land registration; land registration procedure should be uniform for the whole country and there should be an overhaul of the Stamp Duties Act as it is long overdue to align them with the provisions of the Land Use Act.