Counsel in Nigerian property law, real estate investment & the administration of estates— carrying both portfolios and families through the work that matters most.
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Tunde Usman is a Barrister, Solicitor & Conveyancer of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. His practice is built around the two transactions a Nigerian family will care most about in a lifetime—the acquisition of property, and the orderly transfer of property between generations. He advises individual investors, families, and corporate clients on the full lifecycle of land and real estate in Nigeria: from pre-purchase due diligence at the Land Registry, through the perfection of title under the Land Use Act, to the eventual passage of those holdings under a will or by letters of administration.
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in [FILL IN: Year of Call], after reading law at [FILL IN: University] and the Nigerian Law School. Across [FILL IN: Number]+ years of practice, his clients have ranged from individual purchasers and seasoned property investors to estate executors and corporate trustees. The work itself is mostly invisible: searches conducted, deeds drafted and stamped, Governor’s Consent secured, registrations recorded, files closed quietly.
His approach is unhurried and precise. Files are returned on time. Phone calls are answered. Where the law is unclear, he says so; where it is settled, he moves. Most of his clients come by referral from people he has already shepherded through a difficult acquisition—or through the loss of someone they loved.
The senior solicitor’s role in a Nigerian family is rarely a single transaction. It begins with a first plot of land, grows with each acquisition, and continues quietly into the next generation when the time comes to apply for a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. The lawyer who has held the file all along is the one who already knows every Certificate of Occupancy, every deed, every encumbrance—and every name on the family tree.
Pre-purchase due diligence, drafting of the Deed of Assignment, and securing Governor’s Consent under Section 22 of the Land Use Act.
Title perfection, leases, dispute resolution, joint ventures, and the long, careful protection of a portfolio across decades.
Wills, probate, letters of administration, and Deeds of Assent vesting the property in the rightful beneficiaries when the time arrives.
Under the Land Use Act of 1978, all land in each Nigerian state is vested in the Governor and held in trust for the people. What you acquire is a right of occupancy, and that right is only fully protected once five things have been done—in order, by the right people, with the right documents.
Searches at the State Land Registry, Court Registry, and Corporate Affairs Commission to verify title, identify encumbrances or pending litigation, and confirm the seller’s authority to convey.
A properly drafted Deed of Assignment recording the transfer of interest from vendor to purchaser, executed by the parties and witnessed.
Application to the State Ministry of Lands under Section 22 of the Land Use Act. Without this consent, the transaction is null and void, however the price was paid.
Assessment by the State Internal Revenue Service and payment of Stamp Duty. An unstamped Deed is not admissible as evidence in any Nigerian court.
Recording of the Deed at the State Land Registry. The transaction now appears on the public record and the title is, at last, fully perfected.
— For property held by a deceased person, an additional instrument is required: the Deed of Assent, by which executors or administrators vest the property in the rightful beneficiaries. Where assets sit across multiple states—or abroad—the Probate (Resealing) Act, 1966 governs the resealing of grants between Commonwealth jurisdictions.
Good property work is invisible. You don’t see the searches, the calls to the Registry, the corrections to the deed at the eleventh hour. You see only that, years later, your title is clean and your family is not in court.
Whether you are acquiring property, perfecting an existing title, structuring an investment, drafting a will, or trying to secure a grant for a loved one’s estate—reach out. The first conversation is to understand your matter, not to bill it.