LANDS (TITLE VESTING, ETC.) ACT

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

SECTION

1. Vesting of ownership of lands in the Federal Government of Nigeria.
2. Control and management of lands.
3. Invalidation of all allocations, etc.
4. Regularisation of leases.
5. Registration of property to which Act applies.
6. Short title.

LANDS (TITLE VESTING, ETC.) ACT

An Act to provide among other things, for the vesting of the title of all land within
the 100 metres limit of the 1967 shore line and all land reclaimed near the la-
goon, sea or ocean in or bordering Nigeria exclusively in the Federal Govern-
ment of Nigeria.

[1993 No. 52.]

[1st January, 1975]

[Commencement.]

1. Vesting of ownership of lands in the Federal Government of Nigeria

(1) For the avoidance of any doubt and notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or any enactment, law or
vesting instrument, the title to all the lands within 100 metres limit of the 1967 shoreline
of Nigeria and any other land reclaimed from any lagoon, sea or ocean in or bordering
Nigeria or of oceans bordering the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall, to the exclusion of
any right accruing to any body corporate or unincorporate or industry, vest in the Federal
Government of Nigeria without any further assurance than this Act.

(2) Accordingly, any purported title to any land referred to in subsection (1) of this
section held by any State or local government, any individual or by any body corporate or
unincorporate before the commencement of this Act, is hereby vested in the Federal Gov-
ernment of Nigeria.

1. Control and management of lands

All the lands referred to in section 1 of this Act shall be controlled and managed for
and on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria by the Federal Ministry charged with

responsibility for lands and land matters or any other authority designated by that Minis-
try for the purposes of this Act.

1. Invalidation of all allocations, etc.

(1) Any lease purportedly granted by any State or local government, individual or
any body corporate or unincorporate or any agency of the State or local government, in
respect of any such land, before the commencement of this Act shall abate, be null and
void and of no effect whatsoever.

(2) In subsection (1) of this section, “agency” includes any statutory corporation or
any other statutory body (corporate or unincorporate) or any company wholly owned by
the State or local government or any individual or body corporate or unincorporate.

1. Regularisation of leases

(1) Subject to this Act, the holder of a lease purportedly granted before the commence-
ment of this Act by any of the persons referred to in section 3 of this Act, shall be deemed
to have been granted the said lease by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

(2) Accordingly, the holder of the lease or his agent shall hold the lease in accordance
with such terms and conditions as the Federal Government of Nigeria may determine,
from time to time.

(3) The holder or his agent shall, within a period of 30 days, from the promulgation
of this Act, be required to regularise the lease with the Federal Ministry charged with
responsibility for lands and lands matters by means of formal application to the said
Ministry.

(4) A person who, being the holder or agent of the holder of a lease in respect of the
land referred in subsection (1) of this section, fails to regularise the lease as specified
therein, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N10,000 or impris-
onment for a term of five years or to both such fine and imprisonment and to the revoca-
tion of the lease and forfeiture of the property movable or immovable on the land to the
Federal Government of Nigeria.

(5) Where the contravention is by a body corporate, it shall be guilty of an offence
and liable on conviction to a fine of N20,000 on the first conviction and N5,000 for each
day on which the offence continues and in addition to the revocation of the lease.

1. Registration of property to which Act applies

The Registrar of Titles in the Federal Land Registry in which any land referred to in
subsection (1) of this Act is situate shall, without the payment of any fee, register the title
to the said property in the name of the Federal Government of Nigeria and ensure that the
registration is effected free of any encumbrances as provided in this Act.

6. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Lands (Title Vesting, etc.) Act.

                                                                 LANDS (TITLE VESTING, ETC.) ACT

                                                                 SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION

                                                                 No Subsidiary Legislation