Federal Govt Tightens Grip On Shoreline Reclamation, Sets 14-day Approval Timeline

The federal government has approved a unified regulatory framework to strengthen control over shoreline reclamation and inland waterways management across the country.

The decision followed resolutions reached by a Technical Inter-Ministerial Committee comprising the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (FMHUD), the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGoF).

The committee, established by the minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, alongside heads of the partner agencies, is part of efforts to enhance transparency, accountability and inter-agency collaboration in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

A major outcome of the meeting as revealed in a press statement signed by the director press and public relations, federal ministry of housing and urban development, Badamasi S. Haiba is the approval of a unified Standard Application Procedure (SAP) to regulate shoreline allocations, reclamation requests and approvals nationwide.

The statement noted that the new procedure is expected to eliminate overlapping approvals and ensure better regulatory coordination.

Under the framework, it stated that all shoreline applications will begin with a Letter of Intent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, adding that it will be followed by a mandatory joint inspection involving FMHUD, NIWA and the applicant.

The interministerial committee directed that provisional allocations must be based on survey data jointly validated by FMHUD, NIWA and OSGoF to prevent encroachment on navigational channels and avoid conflicting allocations.

They said in addition, all existing shoreline approvals whether active, dormant or pending will be reviewed under the new procedure.

The committee reaffirmed that any previous approvals granted without evidence of payment of statutory fees remain revoked.

To improve efficiency, the committee approved a 14-day processing timeline for each stage of shoreline applications. It also introduced expiration clauses for provisional offers and warned that violations by applicants or officials will attract sanctions.

They stated that the new framework supersedes all previous directives on shoreline reclamation and reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable and transparent management of Nigeria’s inland waterways.