Before you buy a land in Nigeria: Read this!


Before you invest your money in any landed property, you must get familiar with the documents that are required to earn you a problem-free property.

Most people are scared of being scammed and this fear has prevented them from grabbing opportunities that would benefit them and their generations to come.

Do not get stuck. It's easy to get scammed or buy a property that has so many family and communal conflicts. But it's also very easy to invest in genuine properties. You just have to know the basics.

Historically, all lands belonged to the indigenous families dwelling on such lands, not until the 1978 Land Use Act was enacted. This Act vested all Urban lands within a state to the State Governor/ Government.

However, members of the community can have access to portions of their land if certain requirements are met and if the State's Government has no interest or projects to be carried out on those portions of land.

These requirements are known as Land Titling.

Land titles are simply legal documents that show ownership of landed property as they change hands from time to time.

There are majorly 4 types of titles; Gazette, Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), Governor's consent, and Registered Deed of Conveyance also known as Deed of Assignment.

Gazette: This is an official government publication. It is a document that shows that a particular location has been excised and free for global acquisition.

C of O: A document that states that the State Government has leased a location to the community for 99 years which can after which be renewed. A virgin land can have a C of O if it has a Gazette. I need to mention here that not all states in Nigeria issue out C of O.

Governor's consent: Like the name, it's a document that shows the Governor's approval. If a land having the C of O title is about to change hands or ownership, the state's Governor has to give his consent. So Governor's consent becomes the new title of that land because no land can have two C of Os.

Registered Deed of Conveyance/ Assignment: A legal document that shows that the owner is transferring all rights, interests, and ownership of a land to a buyer. Hence, the property is now legally owned by the buyer.
Note: When you want to invest in a property, you should be given any one of the above titles depending on the state of the land, that is; how many times it has changed hands. But regardless, you should look out for any of those titles.

Other Documents that your property should come with include;

A Registered Survey plan, Sales receipt, and sometimes a contract of sale. The first 2 are very important.

The Survey plan shows the seller's details, buyer's details, land shape and location, and other details about the land e.g if there is a proposed road close to that land, the survey plan will show it. It also has the survey number, the surveyor's name and seal, and other information like whether the land is free or Government owned.

The Sales receipt is also important because it is the only document that shows how much you paid to acquire that property and when the transaction was made.

So to recap, your land should come with;
A title
Survey plan and
A Sales receipt.

With these, I'm sure you'll make wise decisions on your first or next investment.

Always remember to work with a trusted realtor.


Written by;
Damiete George
(Real Estate Advsor).