The Federal Government has suspended all land allocations and C of Os for island and lagoon projects.
President Tinubu’s directive mandates fresh applications through the Surveyor-General’s office for clearance.
The Federal Government has placed an indefinite suspension on every previously granted, pending, or intended land allocation and Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for island and lagoon developments. All such applications must now be resubmitted to the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF) for central coordination.
The decision stems from a directive issued by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on July 30, 2025.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Abduganiyu Adegbomehin, explained that the suspension was essential to safeguard the Federal Infrastructural Master Plan and ensure compliance with the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Policy (NGDI).
According to him, no land allocations or occupancy certificates on islands and lagoons will be considered valid unless processed through OSGOF and formally cleared by the Presidency.
The government also cautioned that any ongoing or future developments encroaching on rights-of-way, or carried out without appropriate survey coordination, risk demolition. Furthermore, land approvals obtained through agencies outside OSGOF or the Presidency including those issued irregularly or backdated stand to be revoked.
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), which has in the past issued permits for lagoon and shoreline projects, has now been instructed to submit all existing approvals to the Presidency via OSGOF and to halt the issuance of new ones.
The statement reaffirmed that the Survey Coordination Act, Cap S13, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, grants OSGOF the exclusive mandate to regulate, standardize, and harmonize all survey and land mapping activities across the country.
