CBPM 2025 · Vol. 2025, Issue 1

Navigating Formal Land Acquisition Channels for Construction Projects in Lagos: Issues and Challenges

Daramola Thompson Olapade, Justus Ngala Agumba, and Rudzani Glen Muthelo

Keywords: land governance, land accessibility, project management, construction projects, Land acquisition

Abstract

Construction projects, like other activities, take place on land, thereby making land acquisition a crucial factor in construction ventures. This is because land acquisition is one of the important decisions that make or mar a construction venture, as other activities depend on getting a suitable site for the project. This paper examined the process of land acquisition from the various formal land delivery channels of Lagos, Nigeria. Primary and secondary data were employed for the study. Secondary data on the procedure of land allocation in the various channels of land delivery collected from Government Offices Providing Land Administration Services (GOPLAS) were analysed in addition to interviews with 19 senior officials of the GOPLDS. The result revealed that there were five different formal land delivery channels in the study area, which include Site and Service Scheme, Private Sector Developers' Programme, and Excision. Others included Regularisation and Joint Venture. The land delivery process in all the channels is a multi-stage procedure that takes between two and 14 months to complete. Also, challenges such as a lack of necessary infrastructure in some of the schemes, clientelistic practices, and the encroachment of land by indigenous landholding families and other bureaucratic challenges associated with GOPLAS make acquiring land through the formal land delivery channels problematic. The inefficiencies and delays in the formal land delivery process can deter investment and slow down urban development.