Coalition Alleges Powerful Interests In Lagos Are Blocking Tinubu’s Federal Land Directive

The Coalition Against Land Corruption has alleged that some federal ministries and interests in Lagos State are resisting the implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s directive on federal land administration.

The coalition made the allegation in a statement titled “A War On Land Corruption: Resistance To Presidential Directives Is Economic Sabotage,” which focused on disputes surrounding the control and supervision of federal landed assets.

The coalition said it had observed alleged irregularities in federal land administration over time, including multiple issuances of titles on single parcels of land, falsified survey records, and encroachment on federal shorelines in Lagos.

Explaining its position on the situation, the coalition described the nature of the alleged issues, stating: “Let us be clear: this is not administrative failure, this is organized corruption.”

The statement referenced President Tinubu’s directive issued at the inauguration of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which transferred supervision of federal landed assets to the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation.

Introducing the specific content of the directive, the coalition quoted it as follows: “All federal landed assets, including shorelines, rights of way, setbacks, and cadastral records, must come under the control and supervision of the Surveyor General of the Federation.”

The coalition said the directive was issued to ensure coordinated management of federal land assets across relevant institutions.

It added that the directive was intended to be strictly implemented without exceptions.

Emphasising this point, it stated: “This directive is not open to interpretation. It is not optional. It is binding.”

The coalition also addressed the question of authority over federal land matters, stating that no institution or individual has overriding power over a valid presidential directive.

Clarifying this position, it said: “No ministry. No governor. No traditional institution. No individual, no matter how highly placed, can override a lawful presidential directive on federal assets.”

The coalition said it had received reports of resistance to the implementation of the directive within parts of the federal system.

Describing this resistance, it stated: “This is no longer bureaucracy. This is sabotage.”

The coalition further alleged that petitions and other complaints had been directed at the Office of the Surveyor General, and said that if proven, such actions could amount to “Abuse of office”, “Obstruction of lawful duty” and “Conspiracy against the authority of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

It called for compliance with the presidential directive and urged investigations into alleged irregular land allocations and developments in areas including Banana Island, Ikoyi, Oworo, Ikate, and Oniru.(SaharaReporters (