Survey plan (land survey plan)

A survey plan pins a piece of land to the map. A surveyor registered with the Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON) measures the plot on the ground, plants boundary beacons at the corners, and draws a plan showing:

• the plot's shape, dimensions and area;
• the beacon numbers and coordinates;
• nearby roads and features;
• the name of the person the survey was done for;
• the surveyor's name, seal and signature.

Registered and provisional surveys. A survey becomes a registered survey once it is lodged with the State Surveyor-General and given a plan number. A provisional or unregistered survey is only a drawing. Title applications, consents and building permits need the registered version.

Charting. Before buying, a lawyer or surveyor takes the coordinates to the Surveyor-General to chart them against the government's master map. This shows whether the land falls within a government acquisition, a road or drainage alignment, or someone else's titled land. Charting is also part of every consent application in Lagos.

One plan, one name. A survey plan is drawn in a person's name. When land is sold, the buyer usually commissions a fresh survey in their own name, or has the plan updated, so that their consent application and later C of O carry the right details.

• Lagos: surveys are lodged and charted at the Office of the Surveyor-General; records are being digitised through e-GIS.
• Abuja (FCT): plots are allocated with coordinates by the FCTA, and AGIS holds the records.
• Other states: each state has its own Surveyor-General.