What survey plan means
A survey plan turns a piece of land into a set of coordinates.
It is prepared by a surveyor registered with the Surveyors Council of Nigeria, and it shows the shape of the parcel, the length of each boundary, the total area, the coordinates of each corner, the addresses or names of adjoining parcels, and the name of the person the survey was made for.
The coordinates are what matter. A deed can describe land as lying at Plot 14, off a named street, in a named village, and two different families can both believe that describes their land. Coordinates cannot be argued with. They point at one piece of ground and no other.
Every survey plan also carries the surveyor's name, stamp and registration number, and a plan number issued when the plan is lodged with the state Surveyor General's office.
How it is used
You meet it at three moments, and each one costs money if you get it wrong.
Buying. Before payment, the survey plan is what your search is run against. It is taken to the state Surveyor General's office to confirm the land is where the seller says it is, and to check whether it falls within government acquisition.
Registering. The plan is attached to the deed of assignment and lodged with it. A deed without a matching survey plan is difficult to register and easy to attack later.
Building. The plan is part of what a planning authority wants before approving a building plan, along with the title documents.
Where land has been sold in parts, a fresh survey is normally required for the portion being sold, since the seller's plan covers the whole parcel rather than your slice of it.
Key features
- Prepared and signed by a surveyor registered with the Surveyors Council of Nigeria
- Shows coordinates, boundary lengths, total area and adjoining parcels
- Carries a plan number after lodgement with the state Surveyor General
- Names the person the survey was prepared for
- Attached to the deed of assignment when the transaction is registered
How this works in Nigeria
The colour of the border tells you something in several states, Lagos included. A plan drawn with a red border generally indicates land under government acquisition, and a plan drawn with a purple or violet border generally indicates land that has been committed or excised. Practice varies between states and over time, so the colour is a signal to investigate rather than a conclusion.
What settles it is a search at the Surveyor General's office. That search confirms whether the plan is genuine, whether it is registered, whether the coordinates fall where the seller claims, and whether the land sits inside a government acquisition. It is inexpensive and it is the single most useful thing a buyer can do before parting with money.
Charting fees and survey fees vary widely between states and between surveyors, and a surveyor who is unusually cheap is often unusually quick, which is where errors come from.
Survey plan vs deed of assignment vs certificate of occupancy
Three documents that answer three different questions about the same land.
The survey plan answers where. It fixes the parcel on the ground by coordinates.
The deed of assignment answers who transferred it to whom. It is the contract that moves the interest from seller to buyer, and it should have the survey plan attached to it.
The certificate of occupancy answers what right is held. Under the Land Use Act the state holds the land, and the certificate evidences the right of occupancy granted over it.
A buyer who has only one of the three does not have a complete story, and the gap is usually discovered at the point of sale or the point of building, years after the money was paid.
Limits and risks
A survey plan proves location, not ownership.
A plan can be perfectly genuine, properly lodged, and drawn for somebody who has no right to sell you anything. It says this is the parcel. It does not say this person owns the parcel.
Plans are also forged, and they are forged well. Numbers are lifted from genuine plans, stamps are copied, and a document that looks entirely correct turns out to have never been lodged with anybody. Only the Surveyor General's search reveals that.
Older plans carry a further difficulty. Coordinate systems changed over the years, and a plan drawn decades ago may need to be re-established on the ground by a surveyor before it can be compared with a modern one.
Worth knowing
Do not accept a survey plan by WhatsApp and treat that as verification. Take the actual plan number to the state Surveyor General's office and run the search. Buyers who skip this are the ones who discover, after building to lintel level, that the parcel sits inside a government acquisition.
Questions people ask
What is a survey plan in Nigeria?
It is a drawing prepared by a registered surveyor that fixes the exact location, shape, size and boundaries of a piece of land using coordinates, and is lodged with the state Surveyor General's office.
What does a red survey plan mean?
In Lagos and several other states a red border generally indicates land under government acquisition. Practice varies, so treat it as a warning to run a proper search at the Surveyor General's office rather than as a final answer.
How do I verify a survey plan?
Take the plan number to the state Surveyor General's office and request a search. It confirms whether the plan is genuine and registered, where the coordinates actually fall, and whether the land lies within a government acquisition.
Can I buy land without a survey plan?
You can, and people do, but you would be paying for land nobody can precisely identify. Without a plan you cannot run a meaningful search, you will struggle to register the deed, and boundary disputes with neighbours become very hard to resolve.
Do I need a new survey plan when I buy land?
Usually yes, where you are buying part of a larger parcel. The seller's plan covers the whole parcel, so a fresh survey is prepared for the portion being sold and attached to your deed of assignment.
How much does a survey plan cost in Nigeria?
It varies widely by state, by the size of the parcel and by the surveyor, and charting fees are separate. Get a written quote before instructing anybody, and be wary of a price far below the going rate in that area.