Land Titles in Nigeria and What They Mean

How informed are you when it comes to the various land title documents used in the real estate transactions? Property title are legal documents that shows or serves as evidence for ownership for landed property.

Checking the land title of a property is an important step to take before you invest in a property and ensure you are purchasing from a reputable Company.

The documents also determines its value and it security.  These documents also help perspective purchasers and land owners understand more about existing licenses usage rights, easement, natural resource rights, and other legal rights.

There are several Land documents to look out for during your investment in a Property, but these three are the core documents to ensure a smooth transaction.

A land in Nigeria will have one of the following titles

Gazette

A Gazette is considered to be an official record book where all special government details are spelt out, detailed and recorded. A gazette is a very powerful instrument the community owns and can replace a certificate of Occupancy to grant title to the villages. A community owning a gazette can only sell lands to an individual within those lands that have been excised to them and the community or family head of that land has the right to sign your documents for you if you purchase lands within those excised acres or hectares of land.

Governor’s Consent

The land use Act makes it mandatory for the consent of the governor to be obtained before any alienation of interest in land, going by the tenor of the provision.

The first person on a Virgin Land that has neither been occupied neither by another person nor under acquisition by the government is entitled to get a Certificate of Occupancy on that Land. If that person with C of O decides to sell his land to another person after so many years, that person must obtain the Consent of the Governor before that transaction can be deemed legal in the eyes of the Government.

Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)

This appears or it is considered to be one of the most essential land title document used to certify the legal and ownership status of any land in Nigeria irrespective of its usage. It is also a legal document indicating that the owner of any land has been granted a statutory right of Occupancy by the executive land situates. In Lagos processing land title documents, especially C of O takes more than the expected time for approval. C of O can take more than 18months to be approved, and that is why C of O document on a land greatly appreciate the value of the land.