FG Suspends Island and Lagoon Land Allocations, Orders Resubmission of C of O Requests

The Federal Government has suspended all previously approved, pending, and prospective applications for land allocations and Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) on islands and lagoon corridors across the country. All affected requests must now be resubmitted to the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF) for proper coordination.

The decision follows a presidential directive issued on July 30, 2025, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which placed a moratorium on shoreline, coastal road, island, lagoon, and other federal legacy infrastructure developments nationwide.

Official Statement

The announcement was made in a statement released on Sunday by the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Surv. Abduganiyu A. Adegbomehin. He explained that the measure was necessary to protect the Federal Government’s Infrastructural Master Plan and ensure compliance with the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Policy (NGDI).

“In view of the Presidential Directive issued by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on July 30, 2025, regarding issues and approvals on all Federal Highways, Shorelines, Coastal Roads, Island and Lagoon Developments, and Federal Legacy Infrastructure, the General Public is invited to note the following,” the directive stated.

It continued: “All approved, pending, and intended requests for issuance of Allocations and Certificates of Occupancy on Island and Lagoon Developments are hereby suspended and must be submitted for proper Survey Coordination to the Presidency, Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation.”

Implications for Developers

The Federal Government further warned that:

Encroachments and uncoordinated developments on designated rights-of-way will be demolished.

Approvals granted outside the Presidency or OSGOF—including backdated or wrongly assigned titles—risk immediate revocation.

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), which previously issued certain shoreline and lagoon-related approvals, has now been directed to collate all past approvals and submit them to the Presidency through OSGOF. NIWA has also been ordered to stop issuing such approvals in the future.

The directive reaffirms the legal mandate of OSGOF as outlined under the Survey Coordination Act, Cap S13, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, which designates the office as the sole authority for regulating, standardizing, and harmonizing survey activities nationwide.

Background Context

The suspension did not come as a surprise to many industry stakeholders. In December 2024, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, had raised concerns about unregulated developments along the Lagos shoreline.

During an inspection of waterfront projects—including estates around the Lagos Lagoon—the minister issued a one-month ultimatum for developers to regularize their projects or risk demolition and revocation.

That warning set the stage for the July 2025 presidential directive, which officially froze new land allocations and reclamation activities across islands, lagoons, and coastal corridors.

What This Means for Investors

With the latest order requiring the resubmission of all island and lagoon Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) requests, the Federal Government has formally centralized shoreline and waterfront land approvals under OSGOF.

For developers and investors, this means:

Closer scrutiny of past and pending land titles.

Delays in project timelines as approvals are reviewed.

Reduced autonomy for agencies like NIWA, which can no longer grant rights independently.

While the policy aims to ensure sustainable development and prevent land-use distortions, it also introduces a layer of regulatory uncertainty for ongoing and planned real estate projects in high-demand waterfront areas such as Lagos.