FG approves procedure for shoreline allocation, reclamation

The Federal Government has approved a unified Standard Application Procedure (SAP) to regulate all shoreline allocations, reclamation requests, and related approvals across Nigeria.

The announcement was made in a statement by Mr. Badamasi Haiba, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (FMHUD), on Friday in Abuja. Haiba said the new guidelines are designed to ensure uniformity, accountability, and transparency in the sector.

The framework was developed by the Technical Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Effective Control and Management of National Inland Waterways and Shorelines, which includes FMHUD, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF).

The committee was tasked with reviewing, harmonising, and updating procedures for shoreline reclamation and allocation in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Under the new procedure, all shoreline applications will begin with the submission of a Letter of Intent to FMHUD, followed by a mandatory joint inspection by FMHUD and NIWA, with the applicant present.

Provisional allocations will be based strictly on survey data jointly validated by surveyors from FMHUD, NIWA, and OSGOF to prevent encroachment into navigational channels and overlapping grants.

All existing shoreline grants, whether active, dormant, pending, or newly issued, will be reviewed under the new SAP, and any previous approvals granted without evidence of payment of statutory fees have been revoked.

For high-sensitivity areas such as Banana Island, no new approval or extension will exceed boundaries established by FMHUD, OSGOF, and NIWA.

A mandatory processing timeline of 14 days has been set for each stage of the application and approval process, and all Provisional Offer Letters will now include clear expiration clauses. Non-compliance by officers or applicants will attract appropriate administrative and regulatory sanctions.

Haiba emphasized that the committee’s resolutions override all previous circulars, directives, or guidelines issued by any ministry, department, or agency regarding shoreline management.

He commended the participating agencies for their cooperation and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to a transparent, coordinated, and sustainable framework for the protection, management, and orderly development of Nigeria’s inland waterways and shorelines.