You paid. You signed. You hold a Deed of Assignment. Then a bank, a buyer, or a lawyer asks for Lagos Governor's Consent — and you discover the deal is not finished. Possession is not perfection. Until consent is endorsed and the instrument is registered, the state's land records still point at the previous holder.
That gap is where double sales, refused mortgages, and stalled resales begin. This Q&A covers what Lagos Governor's Consent is, who needs it, what to budget, and the documents buyers actually file.
What Lagos Governor's Consent actually is
Under the Land Use Act, land in each state is held in trust by the Governor. Section 22 makes it unlawful for the holder of a statutory right of occupancy to assign, mortgage, transfer, or otherwise alienate that interest without the Governor's consent. In Lagos, the Lands Bureau processes the application and issues the endorsed consent that completes the chain.
If you buy from someone who already holds a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), you do not get a second C of O. You get Governor's Consent — that is your title for the transfer. The next buyer after you will need theirs. Consent is also required for many mortgages and longer commercial leases tied to the title.
A Deed of Assignment between you and the seller is a private contract. Lagos Governor's Consent is the state recognition that turns that contract into registered ownership banks and courts expect to see.
Documents buyers must gather before filing
Lagos practice (as summarised by conveyancing guides such as Firmus Nigeria and Within Nigeria's 2026 consent overview) typically expects:
- Completed Land Form 1C (application), properly sworn
- Certified True Copy (CTC) of the root of title (C of O or prior registered Consent)
- Executed Deed of Assignment (or other instrument) with an approved survey plan attached
- Passport photographs and valid ID for individual parties; CAC and director particulars where a company is involved
- Cover letter from your solicitor describing the parties, property, and root of title
Survey quality matters. A plan that fails charting against official records is one of the most common query triggers. If a prior owner never perfected their own transfer, you may face a double consent application — registering both the missing prior transfer and yours — which Firmus notes is often cheaper and faster than waiting for the seller to fix their gap first.
In practice, sales usually close first and consent is processed after. That is common — and it is why your purchase agreement should still assign responsibility, timeline, and cost for perfection in writing.
What Lagos Governor's Consent costs and how long it takes
Fees are assessed on the government's fair market value of the property — not necessarily the price you negotiated. Recent Lagos fee summaries commonly cite an aggregate government-facing charge around 3% of assessed value, broken down roughly as: consent fee ~1.5%, Capital Gains Tax ~0.5%, stamp duty ~0.5%, and registration ~0.5%, plus charting/endorsement and any Neighbourhood Improvement Charge on private or excised land (Firmus Nigeria cost table; fee-structure explainers such as Edenbrooks on 2026 property sale taxes).
Confirm the current assessment on your Demand Notice. Lagos also rolled a revised Fair Market Value framework (often called the Blue Book) in 2026 for transaction charges — do not budget from last year's quote alone. Legal fees for conveyancing sit on top of the government line items.
Official targets sometimes cite about 30 days; lived timelines for clean files are commonly measured in months (Firmus cites roughly 4–9 months depending on documentation and bureau load). Queries, incomplete surveys, and backlog stretch that further — a point we flagged earlier when covering Lagos land title delays.
Why skipping Lagos Governor's Consent is expensive
Without consent and registration:
- Nigerian banks typically will not take the property as clean collateral
- The seller's name can remain on the official trail, which is how double-sale risk stays alive
- Your eventual buyer will price the gap — or walk
- Estate administration gets harder if the owner dies with an unperfected chain
Section 22 is not optional. Holding keys and a deed does not override it.
Before you release balance funds on any Lagos purchase, ask your lawyer: Is the root title verified with a CTC and registry search? Is charting clean at the Surveyor-General? Who pays consent, stamp, and registration — and by when? Put the answers in the contract.
Related reading: Lagos Land Title Delays: Digital Platform Stalls, 7 Costly Mistakes Property Buyers Make in Nigeria, and LASRERA Lekki Push: Verify Agents Before You Pay.
Browsing options or ready to view? Contact Planwell Homes or browse listings on planwellhomes.com. Live inventory also sits on our Nigeria Property Centre agent page.
Planwell Homes Limited is a verified agency on Nigeria Property Centre, with active listings across Lekki, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Ajah and beyond.
Sources: Within Nigeria — Governor's Consent Nigeria: What It Is and How to Get It in 2026; Firmus Nigeria — How to Register Title to Land in Lagos State; Edenbrooks — 4 Taxes and Fees on Property Sale in Nigeria (2026 Rates).
