5 Important Land Measurement Unit and Title Document in Nigeria you Need to Know

Land Measurement and Title Documents in Nigeria explained

Land measurement is an important aspect of property ownership and development in Nigeria. This refers to the process of determining the exact size and boundaries of a piece of land. It is essential for property transactions, boundary disputes, and property development projects. The purpose of this blog post is to provide a comprehensive understanding of land measurement and title documents in Nigeria.

Most people who purchase land in Lagos and elsewhere don’t really understand the meaning of these real estate terms. As a potential buyer wishing to buy land or build a new house, you must be familiar with a few of these figures. The first hurdle is to understand the system of land measurement and title documents in Nigeria. In Nigeria today, land is measured in hectares, acres, meters, and feet. These measurements are affected by factors that include development patterns and human and environmental factors.

Let’s start by asking: What is the size of a standard plot in Nigeria?

According to the dictionary definition of “plot,” it is “a marked-out piece of land for the purpose of building or farming.” The word “plot” is an arbitrary term used to describe a land division carved out for property development.

The size of a plot can vary for different reasons, but according to Nigeria’s land measurement and division, the appropriate plot for house construction is 50 feet by 100 feet, which can accommodate a standard house with a small compound. To better understand land measurement or divisions used in Nigeria, different units of area are used as follows:

1. HECTARE

A hectare is one of the least known land measurements and one with which potential buyers and Estate developers seem to struggle.

It is a land measuring:

👉🏿100m x 100m OR
👉🏿328ft x 328ft OR
👉🏿10,000 sqm OR
👉🏿Two and a half acres OR
👉🏿15 plots.

2. ACRE

An acre is a standard unit of land measurement used by land sellers, and it is almost equivalent to the size of a standard football field. An Acre is the product of any rectangular plot of land, giving a total of:

👉🏿4,046sqm
👉🏿43,560 sqm
👉🏿6 plots (each measuring 60ft x 120ft)

3. PLOT

In Lagos State, the standard size of a plot is 60 x 120ft (18m x 36m, i.e., 648sqm), while in some other cities of the country, plots are measured at 50 x 100 ft, and this is the most common type of land measurement in Nigeria.

With this, I believe you now have a full idea about land measurement in Nigeria; now let’s move on to title documents.

Title Documents you must know in Real Estate Investment

1. SURVEY PLAN

A survey plan is a document that measures the boundary of a parcel of land to give an accurate measurement and description of that land. The people who handle survey issues are surveyors, and they are regulated by the office of the surveyor general in Lagos as it relates to survey issues in Lagos. A survey plan must contain the following information:

1. The name of the owner of the land surveyed
2. The Address or description of the land surveyed
3. The size of the land surveyed
4. The drawn-out portion of the land survey was mapped out on the survey plan document
5. The beacon numbers
6. The surveyor who drew up the survey plan and the date it was drawn up
7. A stamp showing the land is either free from Government acquisition or not

2. EXCISION

land use decree on March 28th, 1978, that vested all lands in every state of the Federation under the control of the State Governors. The Land Use Act, coupled with other laws, made it possible for the Governor, who was now the owner of all lands in the state, to actually have the power to acquire more lands compulsorily for its own public purpose of providing amenities for the greater good of the citizens.

Fortunately, the government recognizes that indigenes of different sections of the country have a right to existence and a right to the land of their birth. Hence, it is customary for the state government to cede a portion of land to the original owners (natives) of each area.

An excision means basically taking a part from a whole, and that part that has been excised will be recorded and documented in the official government gazette of that state. In other words, not having an excision means the land could be seized by the Government anytime without compensating you even if you bought it “Legitimately” from the Baale or the Original dwellers on the land.

3. GAZETTE

A Gazette is an Official record book where all special government details are spelled out, detailed, and recorded

A gazette will show the communities or villages that have been granted excision and the number of acres or hectares of land that the government has given them. It is within those excised acres or hectares that the traditional family is entitled to sell its lands to the public and not anything outside those hectares of land given or excised to them.

A gazette is a very powerful instrument the community owns and can replace a certificate of occupancy to grant title to the villager. A community owning a gazette can only sell matters 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.

If the government, based on some reasons best known to them, decides to revoke or acquire your land, you will be entitled to compensation as long as it’s within the excised lands given to that community. land to buy.

The best way to know whether a land is under acquisition or has an excision that has been covered by a Gazette is to get a surveyor to chart the site and take it to the surveyor general’s office to do land information to confirm whether it falls within the gazette and spell out which particular location it can be found.

4. DEED OF ASSIGNMENT

A deed of assignment is an agreement between the seller of land or property and the buyer of that land or property showing evidence that the seller has transferred all his rights, his title, his interest, and his ownership of that land to the seller who has just bought the land.

The deed of assignment has been exchanged between both parties; it has to be recorded in the land registry to show legal proof that the land has changed hands, and the public should be aware of the transaction. Such recorded deeds of assignment come in the form of either a governor’s consent or a registered conveyance.

5. CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY

A Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) issued by the state government officially leases Lagos land to you, the applicant, for 99 years. As already indicated above, all lands belong to the government.

A C of O however is the officially recognized Document for demonstrating the Right to a Land.
What happens after 99 years? That question is still the subject of debate among experts. Most have adopted a wait-and-see attitude. Others postulate that as the new owner of the land, you, the buyer, can renew the certificate of occupancy when it expires. That makes sense, but for the time being, that is largely the case of “We shall see.”

It is important to note that title documents are not always necessary for the transfer of ownership of a piece of land in Nigeria. However, they are necessary for the protection of the rights of the owner and for the resolution of boundary disputes.

The process of obtaining a title document in Nigeria can be complex and time-consuming. It involves several steps, including obtaining the necessary approvals from the relevant government agencies and paying the necessary fees. The process can also be subject to corruption and delays, which can result in a loss of time and money for the property owner.

Understanding land measurement and title documents is extremely important for anyone involved in property ownership and development in Nigeria. The process of measuring land ensures that the size and boundaries of a piece of land are clearly defined, while title documents provide evidence of ownership and protect the rights of the owner. Navigating the process of obtaining a title document can be made easier and less stressful with the assistance of a knowledgeable and experienced professional.