*THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS LAND INVESTORS SHOULD BE ASKING*

Many people, especially those about to make their first land transaction get confused when it comes to asking the right questions.

In some cases, intending investors ask questions like “where is the place?”, “Is it far?” and so on. Some even go as far as asking for the longitude & latitude of the land, all as a result of people trying to be careful so as not to make a financial commitment they would later regret. Now, wouldn’t it be better if they knew the right questions to ask?

That brings us to the first question anyone intending to buy land should ask, which is:
"What is the STATUS of the land?”

Before you buy land any where in Nigeria, it is very important you know the "Status of the Land!"

Knowing the status of the land you are about to buy can save you a lot of Time, Money and unnecessary Hassles.

Imagine buying a piece of land, erecting a building on it, only for the Government to come years later and tell you to move out, with claims that your building is illegal because it is sitting on Government property.

All these can be prevented if you KNOW the STATUS of the land you are investing in before sealing the deal.

This brings us to *LAND CLASSIFICATION*

Land can be classified as either FREE or ACQUIRED.
A parcel of land is considered Free if the Government has not indicated any interest whatsoever on the said land.
Such land is SAFE TO BUY because the Title on the land can be "Perfected Without Issues."

In most cases, such lands will either have a
* Gazette
* C of O
* Governor’s Consent

Now that you understand what it means for Land to be Free, you should also know that ALL lands within areas designated as Urban are under Government Acquisition until deemed Committed or Free.

There are Two types of Acquisition;
* Committed Acquisition
* General Acquisition

COMMITTED ACQUISITION
A parcel of land is said to be under Committed Acquisition when the Government has already indicated intention to use the said land for a "Specific Purpose" such as provision of amenities bothering on Industrial or Residential.
Such lands belong to Government and can NEVER be available for use by individuals.

If you purchase such land (under Committed Acquisition), it will be impossible to perfect your Land Title and you’ll only be occupying the land until Government comes to kick you out.

GENERAL ACQUISITION
Lands under “General Acquisition or “Global Acquisition" can later be later confirmed "Free" or "Committed."
A land under General Acquisition can become FREE by a process called EXCISION.

“EXCISION is a process whereby the Government releases a portion of an expanse of land that is not Committed."

If a parcel of land formerly under Acquisition becomes Excised, it is then considered FREE and therefore becomes GAZETTED.

In this case, the Gazette then becomes the Title on the Land and such Land is SAFE TO BUY because a proper Title can be processed on the said land.

A second case where Lands under General Acquisition can be released is if an individual purchased a land under Acquisition WITHOUT going through an Excision process. Such Lands can go through another process called “RATIFICATION” or “REGULARIZATION” in which the land owner pays for the land to be Ratified or Regularized.

Conditions for actualizing the above:
* If the Land in question doesn't fall within a Committed Area.
* That the purpose for which the Land was bought does not disrupt the original plan of Government.

However, conditions for Ratification may differ from State to State.

I hope by now you understand the Most Important Question(s) to ask when buying land in Nigeria and the kind of lands you should avoid.

If you got value from this article, please share it with others, you might just be saving someone from possible demolition in future.

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