Nigeria: Real Estate and Construction

A piece of land can look like an excellent investment and still be legally unsuitable for the project you have in mind. In Nigeria, a buyer may discover after payment that the property is affected by government acquisition, a reservation, a proposed infrastructure corridor, competing claims or restrictions on its use. This is why checking the title alone is not enough. Before buying land in Nigeria, investors should establish who has the legal interest in the property, whether that interest can be transferred, whether the land is affected by government acquisition and whether it can legally be used for the proposed development.

APM Terminals has entered exclusive negotiations for Nigeria's $2.5 billion Badagry Deep Seaport project, but what contractual, land, regulatory and financing protections must be established before this proposed investment can move from MoU to commercial close? This analysis examines the legal mechanisms protecting major infrastructure investments in Nigeria, from PPP frameworks and NIPC guarantees to competition law concerns and currency risk management.

Risk is an unavoidable part of every construction project. Delays, design errors, unforeseen site conditions, payment disputes, regulatory changes, and economic fluctuations all affect project delivery. Because construction projects involve multiple parties, significant investment, and long execution periods, how these risks are allocated determines whether a project succeeds or fails.

The August Policy Trend Trail examines policy developments aimed at improving Nigeria’s economic potential through consumer protection, digital infrastructure, and the operationalisation of existing policy frameworks. The policies considered span across various sectors such as real estate, corporate commercial, taxation, public, postal, and digital economy sectors. Notwithstanding the diversity of sectors, the policy analysis reveals a shared common thread: the need to address structural gaps that have long constrained Nigeria’s economic growth and reduced consumer confidence. This Policy Trail examines not only the substance of each reform, but also the practical implementation questions that will ultimately determine their impact.

Nigerian port investments demand rigorous legal due diligence beyond cargo volumes and concession terms. From land title verification under multiple overlapping regimes to navigating the new NPERA regulatory framework, investors must understand what they're actually acquiring—whether it's freehold title, a lease, or operational rights under a BOOT concession that reverts to government at term end.

An individual or entity that desires, intends, or is actively negotiating to buy a parcel of land in the Federal Capital Territory (“FCT”) must apply great care and show diligence in every stage of the transaction.

Lagos faces a critical spatial crisis as competing urban functions overwhelm its surface infrastructure. This analysis explores how three-dimensional urban planning—strategically allocating city functions above ground, at ground level, and below ground—could transform Lagos into a more efficient, sustainable metropolis by 2050.

Nigeria has confirmed world-class mineral deposits including lithium reserves estimated at 3.3 million tonnes near Abuja, but a critical legal reality complicates extraction: under Nigerian law, minerals belong to the Federal Government regardless of land ownership. This creates a complex regulatory landscape where investors must navigate federal mineral rights, state surface rights, community development agreements, and a tiered licensing system that has already seen over 3,000 titles revoked for non-compl

Lagos faces a severe housing crisis with 3.4 million homes needed, but the solution is blocked not by lack of land or demand, but by Nigeria's Land Use Act of 1978. This legal framework has created a consent regime where fewer than 5% of land parcels are formally titled, leaving property owners in years-long battles to prove ownership and transforming land into "dead capital" that cannot be mortgaged or developed. The article examines how this constitutional bottleneck, combined with mortgage rates up to 28

The tenancy system in Lagos State has, for many years, been plagued by several challenges, including weak enforcement of existing laws, abusive exploitation and discriminatory practices by landlords, exploitative tendencies of agents, and arbitrary rent increases, to mention a few. In an attempt to curb these practices, the Lagos State Government has proposed the Lagos State Tenancy & Recovery of Premises Bill, 2025 (the “Bill”), which is designed to overhaul and sanitize the landlord-tenant relationship in Lagos State. The Bill is structured in four parts, comprising 45 Clauses.

Lagos State is transforming its real estate sector through digital land administration, faster approval processes, and regulatory reforms that reduce development costs and delays. These government initiatives are creating new opportunities for investors and developers across affordable housing, commercial real estate, mixed-use developments, and transit-oriented projects, while improving transparency and access to development finance.

The Lagos Tenancy Bill 2025 was one of the most significant announcements made on 10 July 2026 at the Real Estate Business Forum co-hosted by Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL), Penuel Prime...