Land Regularization (also known as Ratification) is carried
out when an individual or corporate entity acquires land that belongs to the
government. In most cases, by the unscrupulous natives (Omoniles) in Lagos (for
instance).
The megacity has a land regularization policy which amongst
other things, mandates a second registration of the title to land held by
purchasers of federal lands at the Lagos Lands Registry not minding that the
said title had originally been registered by the Federal Ministry of Lands.
However, not all government lands can be regularized. Any
land that will be regularized must not fall within a government committed area
and it must confirm to the state’s urban planning regulations.
Regularization is all about buying the land 'properly and
legitimately' from the government as the proper vendor. It is an expensive
process because after buying the land from the Omoniles (seller) you still have
to pay the government for the land again. Many victims may not be willing to go
through this route or may be cash strapped for such process, and thus fall prey
to fraudsters who fill their ears with shortcut stories.
After regularization, the government releases the land and
issues a certificate of occupancy (C of O) to the applicant.
In order to avoid buying government land and spending far
more money than necessary it is highly recommended that the status of the land
is known before purchase. Due diligence is expected to be carried out by
solicitors of the purchaser and here is why it is necessary to patronize
experienced practitioners or consultants.
The process of knowing the status of a land is called
Charting. Charting is a very important process in land matters and it is
carried out by Registered Land Surveyors.
The Procedure for
Regularization or Ratification of Title
If your land is under Government Acquisition, you must do a
survey plan and take it to the Surveyor General’s office to chart it to know if it is
under Government Acquisition and to know if it falls under the lands that can
be ratified. If you haven’t done so, please do so to know your
land status.
However, the procedure to ratify distressed land includes:
1.
The Applicant submits an application for
processing to the Directorate of Land Regularization under the Ministry of Land
also known as the DLR.
2.
The DLR will chart the Survey plan and
thereafter carry out a physical site inspection of the Land
3.
If the Report of the Site Inspection is
approved, the DLR processes the file further by raising a demand Notice for
payment for land charges.
4.
Upon payment of land charges by the Application
(evidenced by the Treasury Receipt) the DLR Prepares the Letter of Allocation
(Including the C of O) and forwards the Letter of Allocation to the Executive
Secretary Land Use and Allocation Directorate for endorsement. The Letter of
Allocation is thereafter released to the applicant.
5.
The Applicant’s file containing the C/O is sent
through the Permanent Secretary to the Honourable Commissioner for Land for
Execution and after it has been executed the C/O is processed for Stamp Duty
and Registration and released to the Applicant by the Honourable Commissioner
for Lands.
The conditions
precedent for regularization are:
a.
The subject site must not fall within a
Committed Government Acquisition.
b.
The subject site must not fall within an
existing Forest Reserve or Agricultural Land Use.
c.
The subject site must not fall on road
alignment.
d.
The appropriate Setback must be observed.
e.
The appropriate distances from Drainage Systems,
Canals, Oil and Gas Pipelines, Electricity Substation, High Tension Power Line,
Electricity and Telephone poles, Water Pipelines, etc., as laid down by
Physical Planning and Town Planning Laws must be observed.
f.
The subject site must fall within the permitted Regularization
Area
Requirements for Regularization
1.
Covering letter by the agent or person filing
the application for regularization stating the accomplished documents. The
covering letter must contain current address, telephone number and where
possible an e-mail address.
2.
Duly completed application form obtainable from
Lands Bureau.
3.
₦5,000.00 (Five Thousand Naira) for
Residential land
4.
₦10,
000.00 (Ten Thousand Naira) for Commercial land.
5.
Form must be dated and signed
6.
3 (Three) Passport Photographs (5 x 5) with
white background.
7.
Letter of Authority by the applicant and means
of identification (where application is being processed on behalf of applicant)
8.
Land Information Certificate obtainable from
Office of the State Surveyor- General
9.
Photocopy of Purchase Receipt with evidence of
Stamp Duty
10.
Certificate of Incorporation for Company and
form showing particulars of Directors.
11.
Current Tax Clearance Certificate or Electronic
Tax Clearance Certificate
12.
Sketch Map of Site location
13.
2 (Two) Sun-prints of Survey plan
14.
Photograph of the subject site showing date
One important factor in the regularization of distressed
land/properties is that such must be handled by experienced professionals who
gets the job done and ensures you sleep with your both eyes closed. We, at Oak
Realtors bring you just that tailored service to your satisfaction.
Credits:
www.landsbureau.lagosstate.gov.ng
www.omonilelawyer.com
Credits:
www.landsbureau.lagosstate.gov.ng
www.omonilelawyer.com
Please there is a land which is under government acquisition but not committed to any use. It is in a Keep in View 15 Hectares Property. It is very suitable for the purpose I want to use it for.
ReplyDeleteThis property is in Bogije. Is it something one can still go ahead and acquire, then ratify/regularize?
Thank you for your comment.
DeleteThere needs to be a proper search on the property, to ascertain the true state of that land if it can be ratified or not. The land being kept "in view" does not mean the government has totally released it from acquisition, it simply means the plans are not immediate.
Also, if the land is finally cleared for ratification, it means the person would need to buy it all over again from the government.
If you are very interested in the land, go ahead to buy it, but firstly, conduct your search to know the risk level.
Regards,
David ADEWUMI Esq.
I saw in your writings that the benefits of Property for sale Philippines which I guess drive you to write these ineffable blogs sound unforgettable to you!
ReplyDelete