Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Federal Government has placed an immediate moratorium on all new requests and pending approvals for developments on Nigeria’s shorelines, coastal roads, islands, and lagoon corridors, in a sweeping directive that could significantly impact billions of naira worth of real estate and infrastructure investments.
The move, which follows a presidential directive issued by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently, is aimed at curbing distortions to the Federal Infrastructural Master Plan and ensuring strict adherence to the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure Policy, NGDI.
Surveyor-General of the Federation, Surv. Abduganiyu Adebomehin, who announced the measures, said government will no longer tolerate uncoordinated developments that threaten national infrastructure planning and environmental sustainability.
“Henceforth, the Federal Government will enforce a moratorium on all requests for issuance of documentation on shorelines, coastal roads, island and lagoon developments,” Adebomehin said in a statement.
He warned that existing structures that violate the law or encroach on federal right of way would be demolished.
“All developments encroaching on right of way and developments conceived without proper survey coordination will be demolished to prevent distortion of the Federal Infrastructural Master Plan,” he declared.
The directive also suspends all pending and approved allocations and Certificates of Occupancy on island and lagoon projects until they are resubmitted for clearance at the Presidency through the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, OSGOF.
“All approved, pending and intended requests for issuance of allocations and Certificate of Occupancy on island and lagoon developments are hereby suspended, and must be submitted for proper survey coordination to the Presidency, Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation,” the Surveyor-General stressed.
The National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, has also been ordered to stop granting approvals to private individuals and corporate entities on these corridors and instead submit all previously granted approvals for presidential scrutiny.
“Henceforth, the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, is hereby advised to collate and submit all approvals granted to any individuals or corporate business entities to the Presidency, Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, and desist from issuing same subsequently,” Adebomehin stated.
Citing the Survey Coordination Act, Cap S13, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, the Surveyor-General emphasized that OSGOF remains the only legally designated authority for survey regulation, standardization and harmonization across the country.
“All existing, wrongfully assigned, or backdated approvals heretofore mentioned that do not emanate from the Presidency, Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation are subject to revocation at the directive of the President,” he added.
