Maiduguri Land Titling Programme Brings Formal Property Ownership to Low-Income Households

Maiduguri’s land titling programme strengthens property security for low-income residents

A systematic land titling initiative in Maiduguri, Borno State, is helping low-income residents convert informal land claims into formally recognised property rights, strengthening housing security for households that have historically operated outside the formal land registration system.

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The programme, implemented by the Rehabilitation Empowerment and Better Health Initiative (REBHI) in collaboration with the Borno State Geographic Information Service (BOGIS), with support from the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), targets vulnerable residents in parts of Maiduguri where many households have historically relied on handwritten receipts, customary agreements and other informal documentation to establish ownership.

The initiative is significant for Maiduguri’s housing market because formal land documentation can provide households with stronger protection against ownership disputes while creating a clearer legal basis for property transactions and investment.

From Informal Claims to Formal Property Rights

For many low-income households in Maiduguri, owning a home has not necessarily meant holding a formal title recognised within the state’s land administration system.

BusinessDay reported that residents in neighbourhoods including Bolori and Galtimari had often relied on handwritten receipts or local agreements as evidence of land ownership. Such arrangements can leave property owners exposed to disputes, inheritance conflicts and competing claims, particularly where land records are incomplete or difficult to verify.

The systematic land titling approach seeks to address that gap by identifying existing landholders, documenting their claims and facilitating the transition from customary or informal arrangements towards statutory recognition.

The ACRC has similarly documented the vulnerability of women in Borno who have occupied, maintained and invested in homes without formal legal ownership. The consortium says the systematic land titling project is designed to help women and other vulnerable residents obtain statutory rights over their land in their own names.

This distinction matters because physical possession and legal ownership do not always carry the same level of protection.

Community Engagement Is Central to the Programme

The Maiduguri initiative has adopted a community-based approach rather than relying solely on conventional administrative procedures.

According to BusinessDay, REBHI first engaged traditional and religious authorities, including district heads, before taking the programme into communities. This helped address concerns among residents who initially associated formal documentation with additional taxation, government acquisition or other risks.

Community meetings, training sessions and radio programmes have also been used to explain the land registration process and address questions from residents.

This approach is particularly important in areas where customary land arrangements remain influential. Formalising property rights without understanding existing community structures can create resistance or deepen disputes. The Maiduguri model instead attempts to connect customary realities with statutory land administration.

The ACRC's research on Maiduguri has also identified unregulated land transactions, land conflicts and informal development as important challenges within the city's land and connectivity system.

BOGIS Provides the Formal Land Administration Link

BOGIS plays a central role in moving residents from informal documentation towards recognised property rights.

The agency's official registration guidance states that BOGIS operates as a one-stop shop for obtaining land titles and provides procedures covering applications, documentation, assessment, payment, approval and collection of certificates.

The agency's procedures also recognise systematic land titling as one of the routes through which property rights can be formalised. Its application documentation includes systematic land titling among the available land registration processes.

This institutional connection is important because a land documentation programme needs more than community mobilisation. For titles to have lasting value, the information generated through the exercise must feed into an authoritative land administration system.

BOGIS has previously said it is working to integrate statutory and customary land rights into a digital database, while land administration records across Borno have undergone digitisation efforts.

Women and Vulnerable Residents Are a Major Focus

One of the strongest social dimensions of the initiative is its focus on groups that face greater risks from insecure property rights.

BusinessDay reported that the project waived registration and processing fees for women and persons living with disabilities as part of efforts to make formalisation accessible to low-income residents.

The focus on women is particularly relevant in cases involving inheritance and household ownership.

The ACRC reported in 2025 that women in Borno who had previously lacked formal legal recognition of their property were vulnerable to eviction, family disputes and loss of assets. Its account of the Maiduguri project highlighted the use of land titles to strengthen women's property rights.

Formal documentation can therefore serve not only as a real estate instrument but also as a mechanism for strengthening household security and reducing disputes over residential property.

Formal Titles Can Increase the Economic Value of Property

The implications extend beyond ownership documentation.

A formally recognised property right can make an asset easier to verify, transfer and potentially use within the formal financial system. BusinessDay reported that residents who obtain formal titles could potentially use their property as security when seeking business finance or other financial support.

This is one of the wider economic arguments behind land formalisation in Nigeria.

Where ownership cannot be reliably established, property may have substantial physical value but limited financial utility. A formal title can improve the ability of owners, lenders and government agencies to establish who holds rights over a particular parcel.

For low-income households, that distinction can be particularly important. A house may represent the largest asset a family owns, but without adequate documentation, its ability to support investment or provide security during a financial emergency can remain restricted.

Land Titling Could Support Maiduguri’s Urban Recovery

Maiduguri's experience also demonstrates why land administration matters in cities affected by prolonged insecurity and displacement.

More than a decade of conflict has altered the city's population, neighbourhoods and urban development patterns. The ACRC has identified land registration and land governance as important elements of Maiduguri's broader urban recovery agenda.

Clearer property rights can support more orderly urban development by improving information about who owns or occupies land.

For government, reliable land records can improve planning, infrastructure delivery and property administration. For residents, they can reduce uncertainty over the security of their homes. For investors and developers, clearer ownership records can reduce one of the risks associated with acquiring land in markets where documentation is fragmented.

The Challenge of Scaling Formal Land Registration

The Maiduguri programme also highlights a broader challenge for Nigeria's property market: formalising land ownership at scale.

Land registration can involve documentation, verification, surveying, valuation, statutory approvals and fees. These requirements can become significant barriers for households with limited income or low levels of familiarity with formal administrative procedures.

BOGIS's published registration process, for example, involves submitting application forms and relevant documents, assessment by the agency, payment where applicable, an offer process and eventual processing of the Certificate of Occupancy or registration document.

This explains why programmes that take registration services closer to vulnerable communities can make a meaningful difference.

The Maiduguri initiative's use of community meetings, local leaders, radio engagement and direct assistance with documentation attempts to reduce some of these barriers. BusinessDay reported that officials even assisted some residents at their homes when they were unable to complete parts of the process themselves.

Implications for Nigeria's Housing Market

Maiduguri's land titling experience offers a broader lesson for Nigeria's housing sector.

Housing supply is not determined solely by the number of homes constructed. The ability of households to acquire, document, transfer and develop land also affects how efficiently housing markets function.

When large numbers of properties operate outside formal land records, households can face greater uncertainty while developers, financial institutions and government agencies have less reliable information about ownership.

Systematic land titling can therefore contribute to housing-market formalisation by creating clearer property records and improving tenure security.

For policymakers, the Maiduguri experience suggests that land reform should not be treated purely as an administrative exercise. It can influence housing security, access to finance, urban planning and the ability of households to preserve and build wealth through property.

For investors, stronger land records can potentially reduce ownership-related risks, although formal documentation does not eliminate the need for independent title verification, planning checks and due diligence before acquiring property.

Outlook

The systematic land titling programme in Maiduguri demonstrates how formal land documentation can affect households well beyond the issuance of a certificate. By connecting vulnerable residents to formal property records, the initiative is strengthening tenure security while creating a clearer foundation for the economic use of residential assets.

Its longer-term impact will depend on the ability of BOGIS, REBHI, community institutions and other stakeholders to sustain registration, resolve competing claims and maintain reliable land records.

For Nigeria's wider housing market, the central lesson is clear: secure housing ownership requires not only a physical home, but also a reliable legal framework that recognises and protects the rights attached to the land on which that home stands.

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