The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has reconstituted its Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee under the Department of Land Administration to provide a faster way of resolving land disputes in Abuja.
The committee was inaugurated on September 16, 2026, by the Director of FCT Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze.
The move is aimed at reducing reliance on prolonged litigation by encouraging mediation and conciliation in appropriate land-related disputes.
For Abuja property owners, developers and investors, the development could provide another avenue for addressing disagreements involving land records, allocations, boundaries and other administrative matters.
However, the committee is not a replacement for the courts. Its role is to help parties resolve disputes through an administrative ADR process where the nature of the disagreement makes such an approach suitable.
FCTA creates alternative route for land disputes
Land disputes can become costly and time-consuming for property owners and developers.
A disagreement over a plot can delay construction, prevent a property from being sold and create uncertainty for prospective buyers. Developers may also struggle to secure financing or proceed with projects while questions over land ownership remain unresolved.
The reconstituted committee is expected to address some of these challenges by reviewing complaints and petitions, examining relevant land records and engaging the parties involved.
It will then advise the FCTA management on an appropriate resolution.
The process is different from conventional litigation, where parties depend on a court to determine their legal rights after considering evidence and arguments.
Under ADR, parties can be brought together to explore whether their disagreement can be resolved without going through a full court case.
The committee will therefore focus on mediation, conciliation and administrative review within its assigned terms of reference.
What the committee will handle
The committee’s responsibilities include reviewing complaints and petitions relating to land administration.
It will also examine relevant land records and interact with parties involved in disputes before making recommendations to FCTA management.
This record-review function is important because property disputes can sometimes arise from conflicting or incomplete documentation.
Two parties may, for example, claim an interest in the same plot. Another dispute may concern the validity of a land document, the boundaries of a property or the status of a particular allocation.
There may also be disagreements over administrative decisions affecting a person’s interest in land.
By examining available records, the committee can establish the administrative history of a property before considering possible ways of resolving the dispute.
However, the suitability of ADR will depend on the facts and nature of each case.
Not every land dispute can be resolved through mediation or conciliation.
Why land administration matters in Abuja
The Department of Land Administration plays an important role in Abuja’s property market.
Its responsibilities include the administration, control and management of land within the Federal Capital Territory.
The department is also involved in processing land allocations, issuing Rights of Occupancy and Certificates of Occupancy, and registering and managing land titles and documents affecting property in the FCT.
These responsibilities place the department at the centre of several administrative processes that can generate disputes between landowners, developers, occupiers and other parties.
A dispute involving a land allocation, title record or other administrative matter can therefore have consequences beyond the parties directly involved.
For instance, a developer may be unable to proceed with construction while a land claim remains unresolved. Similarly, a buyer may hesitate to purchase a property if questions surrounding its title have not been settled.
ADR could reduce prolonged property disputes
Alternative Dispute Resolution generally provides parties with an opportunity to resolve disagreements without going through a full trial.
Mediation and conciliation allow the parties to present their positions and explore a mutually acceptable settlement.
The objective is not necessarily to establish one party as the winner and the other as the loser. Instead, the parties can work towards practical steps that address the dispute, provided the proposed settlement is lawful and acceptable to them.
For example, a boundary dispute may be easier to resolve if survey information and land records clearly establish the interests of the parties.
Similarly, a disagreement involving an administrative land record may be addressed after the relevant documents have been examined and the parties have agreed on an appropriate resolution.
Disputes involving allocation records, competing administrative complaints and other land-management issues could also be considered where they fall within the committee’s mandate.
However, ADR does not automatically determine ownership in every disputed property case.
Where parties have competing claims that cannot be settled by agreement, a formal judicial process may still be necessary.
The committee should therefore not be confused with a court that can automatically determine title or impose judicial remedies on parties who do not agree to a settlement.
Settlements can have legal effect
There is also an important difference between mediation and simply taking a complaint to a government office.
In mediation, parties have an opportunity to participate in reaching a settlement.
Under Nigeria’s Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023, a settlement agreement reached through mediation can be binding and enforceable in court, subject to the requirements and limitations of the law.
This gives a properly documented settlement greater legal significance than an informal agreement between property owners.
For parties involved in an Abuja land dispute, this means any settlement reached through an ADR process should be properly documented.
They may also need to complete additional registration or legal steps, depending on the nature of the agreement and property involved.
What the development means for property buyers
The reconstituted committee does not remove the need for property due diligence.
Anyone buying land in Abuja still needs to establish who owns the property and whether the person offering it for sale has the legal authority to transfer the interest.
Buyers should also verify relevant title documents and land records, examine survey information and investigate whether there are competing claims or encumbrances.
This is particularly important because a government-backed dispute-resolution mechanism should not be treated as a substitute for checking a property before purchase.
The Department of Land Administration’s role in registering and managing land titles and documents makes proper documentary verification an important part of the Abuja property transaction process.
For investors and developers, the same principle applies.
Resolving land issues before committing substantial funds can prevent disputes from affecting construction, financing and future resale.
Committee expected to pursue speedy resolutions
The reconstitution of the committee also comes with expectations around transparency, fairness and professionalism.
The chairman of the committee, Samuel Agbana, said members would work towards achieving speedy and amicable resolutions in accordance with their terms of reference.
These remain stated objectives, however. The effectiveness of the committee will ultimately depend on how it handles cases and whether it can deliver timely and acceptable outcomes.
The committee’s performance will also need to be measured against the complexity of land disputes in Abuja and the number of complaints requiring attention.
Early intervention could nevertheless prevent some disagreements from becoming longer and more expensive disputes.
A complaint involving a land record or competing administrative claim may be easier to address when the relevant documents and parties can still be identified clearly.
Implications for Abuja’s property market
The reconstituted ADR Committee provides Abuja property owners, developers and other stakeholders with another formal channel for dealing with certain land-related disagreements.
Its combination of land-record review, mediation and conciliation could help parties resolve suitable disputes without immediately entering prolonged litigation.
For anyone involved in a land dispute, however, documentation remains essential.
Title documents, survey plans, allocation records, agreements, correspondence and other relevant evidence can help establish the history and nature of a property dispute.
Where parties are willing and the dispute is suitable, ADR may provide a practical route towards settlement.
Where an agreement cannot be reached or the matter requires judicial determination, the appropriate legal process remains available.
For Abuja’s growing property market, the broader significance of the FCTA’s move is that unresolved land disputes can affect more than individual property owners. They can delay development, complicate transactions and create uncertainty for investors.
By reconstituting the land dispute committee, the FCTA is seeking to create a more structured administrative pathway for addressing these problems before they become prolonged property battles.