Allocation letter

Two quite different documents go by this name in Nigerian land and house listings.

Government allocation. When a state government, or the Federal Capital Territory Administration in Abuja, grants someone land, the first document is usually an allocation letter or offer of a right of occupancy. It names the plot and sets the terms: the permitted use, the bills to pay and the conditions to meet. The Certificate of Occupancy comes later. It is issued by the state governor, or the FCT Minister, as evidence that the right of occupancy has been granted. In Lagos state land schemes, the allocation letter is signed before the C of O file is processed, and in state housing schemes such as Lagos HOMS the allocation documents set the payment terms that must be completed before full ownership passes.

A government allocation can be lost. In a recent enforcement drive, the FCT Administration withdrew the rights of occupancy of hundreds of Maitama allottees, including well-known public figures, who had not paid their C of O bills. It relied on its revocation powers under the Land Use Act.

Developer allocation. In a private estate, an allocation letter is the developer's record of which plot or unit is yours. It does not transfer title. Your legal interest comes from a deed of assignment or sublease signed by the title holder, usually after you have paid in full. Any transfer of a statutory right of occupancy, including a sublease, needs the Governor's Consent, and the deed should then be registered. Until then you are relying on the developer's own title, which is often a global C of O or land released by excision.

Physical allocation is a separate step: being taken to the site and shown your plot and its beacons.

• Abuja (FCT): government allocations are handled by the FCT Administration through AGIS. Holders must pay the C of O bills to keep the right. Area Council papers are a different document with their own risks.
• Lagos: state land and housing schemes issue allocation letters through the Lands Bureau and the housing ministry. Private estates issue their own letters.
• Other states: each state's lands ministry or GIS agency handles government allocations, with its own procedures and bills. Developer allocations are common in estates everywhere.