A property lawyer, Sesi Hundeyin has emphasised the importance of seeking legal advice when dealing with land disputes in Nigeria.
He made this known at the Africa Real Estate Summit, organised in Lagos by Matthew Onwuka, the Converner of the African Real Estate Summit.

Hundeyin stated that timing is crucial, as individuals have a 12-year window to approach the court, adding that their right to seek redress will be extinguished after that period.

“Seeking timely legal advice can help individuals understand the strength or weakness of their cases and take appropriate action,” Hundeyin advised.

He also called on the government to reduce the cost of title perfection.
“When you approach the government for a title, what you get is a term of years, mostly 99 years in some states, and some 50 years. So, your time is limited. And buying land itself does not confirm legal ownership. You have to take steps to perfect the title by approaching the government and paying the necessary fees to legally register the land under your name.

“And before you get there, there are a lot of things you need to do, like due diligence, making sure you have a good contract, approaching the government at the right time and paying the right fees. Once those are done, the land gets registered and becomes yours legally. Anyone that goes to find out, will see your name at the registry as the owner of the property,” he explained.

He advised that more property owners should be given incentives to perfect their titles, instead of making it onerous and increasing the number of properties without good titles.

The lawyer also noted that the cost of getting loans to build houses in Nigeria is very expensive and advised that the government should address the issue.

“They should work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to bring down the interest loans so that people can acquire loans, buy properties and develop them,” he suggested.

Highlighting the potential risks involved in land transactions, Hundeyin explained that without obtaining the governor’s consent, a land transaction remains incomplete.
This, he said, leaves individuals vulnerable to losing their land to someone who follows the correct procedures.

He advised individuals to take measures to secure their property and ensure that it is clearly identified as their own to avoid any dispute or potential encroachment on the property.

The convener, Onwuka, stated that the summit was organised to tackle misinformation, which he said, is a significant challenge in the sector.