Governor's Consent is one of the most misunderstood timelines in Nigerian property transactions. Buyers often treat it as a quick administrative step following exchange of contract — something that happens in the background while they move in and settle. In practice, it is a formal government approval process that involves multiple ministries, document review, physical inspection in some cases, and payment of statutory fees. In Lagos State, where the majority of consent applications are processed, the realistic timeline ranges from four months to over two years depending on document completeness, the specific transaction type, and the workload of the Lands Bureau at the time of filing.
Understanding what drives the timeline — and what slows it — allows buyers to plan transactions accurately and avoid the post-completion pressure that comes from an unexpectedly long wait for a critical government approval.
What Governor's Consent is and when it applies
Under the Land Use Act 1978, all land in Nigeria is vested in the State Governor. When land held under a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) is sold or assigned, the buyer requires the consent of the Governor to perfect the transaction. This applies to every assignment of a C of O title — it is not optional, and an assignment without Governor's Consent is technically void under the Act, meaning it cannot be properly registered or relied upon against third parties.
Consent is processed through the State Lands Bureau (in Lagos, the Lagos State Lands Bureau at Alausa). The process involves filing an application, submitting prescribed documents, paying consent fees based on the consideration value, and waiting for the Bureau's review, approval, and endorsement of the new deed.
The consent process: step by step
The process in Lagos State (which is broadly representative of consent processes in most Southern Nigerian states) runs as follows:
- Pre-filing document assembly (1–4 weeks): Your solicitor prepares the application package: executed Deed of Assignment, original C of O, survey plan, receipts for consent fees paid, evidence of current property assessment, sworn declarations, and supporting corporate or personal documents. Incomplete packages are the single most common cause of delay at filing and at every subsequent stage.
- Filing and acknowledgment (1–2 weeks): The package is filed at the relevant Lands Bureau office. An acknowledgment of filing is issued. This is the formal start of the process.
- Document examination (4–12 weeks): Bureau officers examine the filed documents, verify the title chain, confirm that all fees have been correctly calculated and paid, and check for any encumbrances, judgments, or prior consents on the title. Queries raised at this stage return the file to the applicant for correction. Each query adds weeks to the timeline.
- Governor's office approval (4–16 weeks): Following examination, the file is forwarded for the actual Governor's Consent endorsement. In Lagos, this involves the Governor's office in a formal sense but in practice runs through designated officials. The timeline at this stage is the most variable and the least predictable.
- Stamp duty and registration (2–6 weeks): After consent is granted, the deed must be stamped at the Federal Inland Revenue Service and then registered at the Lands Registry. Only after registration is the transaction fully perfected.
What causes delays
The most common delay triggers, in order of frequency:
- Inconsistent names across documents. The name on the C of O, the Deed of Assignment, the survey plan, and the applicant's ID must all be consistent. A middle name used in one document and omitted in another, or a maiden name versus a married name, requires sworn declarations and sometimes court orders to resolve. Each inconsistency is weeks of additional process.
- Outstanding ground rent or property charges. State charges against the property must be cleared before consent is granted. Buyers who do not verify the charge position before completion discover this problem after payment.
- Title chain gaps. If the property has changed hands more than once and any prior assignment was not properly consented and registered, each gap in the chain must be resolved before the current consent application can proceed.
- Incorrect or underpaid consent fees. Consent fees are calculated on the stated consideration in the Deed. If the stated consideration does not match Bureau expectations or if fees have been miscalculated, the application is queried.
Planning your transaction timeline around consent
The practical implication for buyers is straightforward: do not plan your occupation, financing draw-down, or possession handover around the assumption that consent will be granted in 60 or 90 days. In uncomplicated transactions with complete documents and a clean title history, four to six months is realistic. In transactions with any of the delay triggers above, eight to eighteen months is not unusual.
Your sale agreement should reflect this reality. The possession and handover provisions should be tied to a specific date rather than to the grant of consent, with separate provisions for what happens if consent is delayed. Your solicitor should advise on whether the transaction risk during the consent period is mitigated adequately by the protections in the signed agreement.
Lagos versus other states
The Lagos State Lands Bureau processes the highest volume of consent applications in Nigeria. Processing times are generally longer than in states with smaller transaction volumes, but the process is more structured and predictable than in many other states. In Abuja, transactions involving Federal Capital Territory land (leasehold from the FCDA) have their own consent framework under the FCT Administration, with different document requirements and timelines. Buyers outside Lagos should confirm the specific consent process applicable in their state with a locally practising property solicitor.