Deed of assignment (DOA)

When land or a house with a C of O or other title is sold, the seller does not hand over the C of O as if it were a car log book. The seller assigns their right of occupancy to the buyer by deed.

A deed of assignment normally contains:

• the parties and their addresses;
• the recitals: the seller's root of title, such as the C of O, an earlier consented deed or a family grant;
• the price and an acknowledgement that it has been paid;
• the operative clause transferring the seller's interest for the rest of the term;
• the description of the land by survey plan number and coordinates;
• the seller's promises about title and freedom from claims;
• signatures, witnesses and the space for consent and registration.

What makes it effective. On its own, a signed deed gives the buyer an equitable interest between the parties. To be good against the world it needs three further steps, together called title perfection:

• Governor's Consent to the assignment;
• stamping, now under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 regime;
• registration at the state land registry.

A deed that is never perfected is hard to rely on in court and is poor security for a mortgage.

Contract of sale first. In larger deals the parties sign a contract of sale that sets the terms and payment stages, and the deed of assignment follows on completion.

• Lagos: registered under the Lagos State Lands Registration Law 2015 after consent from the Lands Bureau.
• Abuja (FCT): consent and registration through AGIS.
• Other states: many publish their own procedure; Ekiti, for example, publishes a step-by-step guide for registering a deed of assignment.