The Rehabilitation Empowerment and Better Health Initiative (REBHI), a Maiduguri-based NGO, is delivering official land titles to low-income residents in Bolori and Galtimari neighbourhoods through the Systematic Land Titling (SLT) project. Backed by the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) and working with the Borno State Geographic Information Service (BOGIS), the initiative is formalising land ownership for vulnerable families who previously held only handwritten receipts or informal agreements. These unofficial documents left households exposed to land grabs, inheritance disputes, and exclusion from financial systems.
To overcome deep public suspicion, REBHI engaged traditional and religious leaders, including the District Head of Maisandari, Alhaji Abba Bukar, who recalled initial fears that documentation would lead to taxation or land seizures. After community consultations, leaders helped mobilise residents to accept the process, particularly highlighting protections for widows at risk of being dispossessed. Town hall meetings, training sessions, and radio broadcasts were used to explain the legal benefits of formal titles, ensuring accessibility regardless of literacy levels.
Project lead consultant Professor Monguno emphasized the need for a flexible, research-based approach that aligns customary practices with statutory law in post-conflict urban settings. REBHI Executive Director Ajikatu Imam stated the project was created to dismantle administrative barriers and deliver legal ownership directly to vulnerable populations. The SLT process includes land measurement, dispute resolution, and direct issuance of titles to residents.
REBHI is offering land titles to people who once had no legal claim, yet the project's long-term protection depends on whether these documents are respected during future disputes. If courts and local authorities do not uphold the new titles, families could still lose their homes despite the paperwork.
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