By Dennis Isong
There’s so much wrong information out there. Beware! Don’t just believe everything. Not everything you see out there is correct. The fact is this, there are different types of occupancy, but people know only one type, which is the one that lasts for 99 years.
A Certificate of Occupancy is a certificate given to a land that shows that you are the rightful owner of that land.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPANCY
Let me first refer to the most popular one which we know.
RESIDENTIAL CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
This particular one is the one you have when you buy land. You can use this certificate to obtain a loan. It can last for the time frame of 99 years, and you can do it in your name, which is unique. It is also known as an Individual Certificate of Occupancy.
Certificates of Occupancy have different categories which depend on the individual or organization.
2. AGRICULTURAL CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
This is for those that want to go into farming. These people intend to use their land just for farming.
For example, in Ikorodu, most lands in Epe are zoned under the Agric zone. So, even though the land has what we call Free Hold, however, when you check it, it falls under the Agric zone. If you want to process that in the future, it can be changed to residential. But for now, most land in Ikorodu falls under the Agric zone. The tenure for an Agric Certificate of Occupancy is 25 to 28 years.
3. INDUSTRIAL CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
This type is given to industry, for example, Dangote. The kind of certificate Dangote has in Ibeju-Lekki Lagos is the Industrial Certificate of Occupancy. And if you observe, for you to get this kind of Certificate of Occupancy, the place where you get your land will be in the extreme part of the state where we have less population to restrict pollution.
The kind of Certificate of Occupancy that will be given to you in that area will be an Industrial certificate of occupancy. It can be given to a company, not an individual. The tenure is 35 years.
4. FAMILY CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
If you are familiar with Lagos terrain, you would notice that some families have certificates of occupancy in their name—Family certificate of occupancy.
This doesn’t have tenure. Before a family can have that Certificate of Occupancy, it means the government gave them based on their reputation.
5. GOVERNMENT ALLOCATION
If you pay attention, you would have come across lands that have government allocation. Each government allocation will always lead to a C of O. That is also a type of C of O because each will lead to C of O.
Allocation can be given to a company, or ministry, a reputable person, or foreign investors. If you come into the country to invest, the government can allocate land to you instead of buying from individuals.
6. EXCISION
Excision is a type of Certificate of Occupancy given to a village.
It’s also a type of C of O. When a land has excision, you cannot have two types of Certificates of Occupancy on that land.
The next type of title you can process for that land is the Governor's consent. But before you can process the Governor's Consent, the land has to be gazetted.
WHAT IS A GAZETTE?
A gazette is the legal newspaper of a country or a state, which publishes the text of new laws, treaties, regulations, court decisions, legal notices, and decrees.
When an excision land is published, it is what we call gazetted Land. It is after that you can upgrade it to a Governor’s consent, not a C of O.
Excision is a type of C of O given to a village, i.e., can only be given to a village.
In summary, for residential C of O, it can be given to an individual or company. Agricultural C of O can also be given to an individual or a company. Industrial is given to a company. A family Certificate of Occupancy is given to a family only if the family is reputable.
Government allocation can be given to an investor, a company, or an individual depending on the purpose. You can appeal to the government for this. Excision can never be given to an individual, but to a village. When you buy land with excision, the first thing to do is, that land is gazetted, then you proceed to make it have what we call Governor’s consent. Excision on its own is a valid title by the government, which is also a Certificate of Occupancy that doesn’t have tenure. You can go ahead and process that Certificate of Occupancy with the Governor's consent.
Dennis Isong helps Nigerians in the diaspora to own property in Lagos, Nigeria, stress-free. For questions, WhatsApp/Call 2348164741041.
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