Let me tell you a short story about my guy Tunde.
Tunde is a software engineer in Toronto. He saved money for three (3) years and managed to buy one plot of land in Banana Island. He wanted a piece of home, an investment in his future. He did what most Nigerians abroad do: he called his trusted uncle, sent him ₦80 million, and asked him to handle the purchase.
His uncle did the deal. The seller was happy, and Tunde was happy.
Two years later, Tunde flew back to Lagos, ready to start his foundation. He approached his uncle for the documents, and that’s when the trouble started: the Deed of Assignment was in his uncle’s name.
“Don’t worry,” his uncle said. “Na family land. You’re safe.”
But when Tunde brought a buyer for a small portion, his uncle refused to sign. When Tunde wanted to use the land as collateral, the bank said no. Legally speaking, it wasn’t his land. He had no documents, no proof—just an ₦80 million hole in his savings and a broken relationship.
Tunde’s story is painful. Why? It could be me or you.
The single most significant mistake that Nigerians in the diaspora make when purchasing property is not the land they try to acquire but how they do it.
Using family or friends as a proxy is a serious gamble with your life’s savings, as well as your relationships. The legal and financial risks are enormous. The possibility of disputes within the family also hangs around. But what’s the alternative? You can’t just fly to Nigeria every time you need to sign a document, can you?
Imagine sitting in your living room in London, Houston, or Toronto, and you can sign your own documents securely. Picture being able to execute a power of attorney, deed of assignment, or affidavit in 10 minutes, and it being legally binding in Nigeria.
It is not a pipe dream for the future. It is reality. This is what Remote Online Notarisation (RON), the service we provide here at Naija Virtual Notary, makes possible.
This is what remote online notarisation, the service we offer at Naija Virtual Notary, facilitates.
This guide will show you the secure way to purchase land in Nigeria from abroad.
The Secure Way to Buy Property from Abroad: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you want to buy land safely in Nigeria, then you have to take “trust” out of the equation and replace it with a legal, professional process.
How, you ask. Listed below are the steps to buy land safely.
Step 1: Hire a Verified Lawyer
Your first step shouldn’t be sending money to a family member. It should be geared towards hiring a qualified Nigerian lawyer specialising in real estate. This lawyer is not your “friend”; they are paid legal representatives who have the professional duty of protecting your interests.
They will be your hands and feet on the ground, and unlike a relative, you can legally hold them accountable.
Step 2: Demand Verifiable Due Diligence
Once you engage an attorney, they should do serious due diligence on the property. It is the latter that differentiates a safe investment from a ‘story that touches the heart’.
Your attorney must:
- Investigate at the Land Registry to verify the seller’s title. Does the seller have a valid Certificate of Occupancy or Governor’s Consent, or is the land under a Gazette?
- Check the Surveyor-General’s Office: Through a surveyor, your lawyer will check the coordinates of the land to ensure that what is in the document matches what is on the ground.
- Do a Physical Inspection: Check for the presence of “Omo Onile” (land grabber), squatters, boundary disputes, or other physical problems.
Step 3: Execute the Legal Documents
Here is the most critical step, and the one that stops most diaspora investors.
For any of that, your lawyer must have the legal authority to act on your behalf, which is provided by a power of attorney, an essential document that has to be notarised for it to be legally valid.
The Old Guard (How things were done before RON):
Your lawyer prepares the Power of Attorney; and
- Sends it to you in Houston via email.
- You make an appointment with the Nigerian Embassy or Consulate.
- You take a day off work, drive to the consulate, and sign the document in front of the consular officer.
- You pay to have the physical document couriered back to Nigeria.
Total Time: 2-4 weeks. By this time, the seller in Lagos would have most likely gotten a better offer and pulled out.
The New, Secure Way With Naija Virtual Notary
Your attorney prepares the PoA and then emails it to you.
- You log on to the Naija Virtual Notary platform.
- You are connected with a commissioned Nigerian notary public via a secure video conference.
- You sign the document digitally, and the notary affixes their legal seal.
Total Time: 15-45 minutes.
Your lawyer in Lagos instantly receives, in his email, the tamper-proof, legally valid document and is able to conclude the deal on the same day.
What is Remote Online Notarisation (RON)?
This is the technology that bridges the gap for Nigerians in the diaspora.
Remote Online Notarisation, or RON, is a 100% legal, secure, and fast method for getting your documents notarised virtually.
This allows you to appear before a notary public without physically being present, through audio-visual technology. It is legally valid in Nigeria and therefore, a game-changer with respect to international as well as domestic transactions.
Stop waiting weeks for the Consulate. If you want to know the exact steps and technology that make this 15-minute process possible, read our full guide: How to Notarise Documents Online in Nigeria: The Fastest Legal Method
Here is how it works with Naija Virtual Notary:
- Upload Your Document: Attach the unsigned document, such as your power of attorney or deed of assignment.
- Verify Your Identity: Using your Nigerian passport, NIN, or other government-issued ID, our system verifies your identity in seconds.
- Connect in a Live Video Call: You are connected to a licensed Nigerian notary public in a secure, recorded video session.
- Sign & Seal: The notary has you e-sign the document and then affixes their digital signature and electronic seal.
- Receive Your Notarised Document: The final tamper-proof document is instantly sent to you and your lawyer via email.
The Documents You Can Notarise from Abroad to Secure Your Land
- The Power of Attorney is just the start. The whole process of purchasing land can be securely managed from abroad with RON.
- Power of Attorney: Give your attorney the power to sign on your behalf.
- Sworn Affidavits: (e.g., Affidavit of Identity).
- Contract of Sale: An agreement entered into to buy the land originally.
- Deed of Assignment: This is the final document that transfers the property title to you. You can sign this yourself, get it notarised online, and make sure your name is the only name on that deed.
Don’t be like Tunde; secure your legacy.
Tunde might have hired an attorney and safely executed a power of attorney from his home in Toronto for an affordable fee if only he had known about remote online notarisation.
That 15-minute action would have protected his ₦80 million investment. His lawyer would have conducted due diligence and ensured the final Deed of Assignment was in Tunde’s name. If Tunde did his due diligence, he would not be asking his friends to involve him; he would be the life of the party.
Owning land in Nigeria is the dream. Bad processes and distance should not turn this into a nightmare. Stop using risky proxies through family members. Take control of your investments. Notarisation is now at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
Ready to close your next property purchase? [Click Here to Notarise Your Power of Attorney Online in 15 Minutes] Have questions about how it works for your specific situation? [Click Here to Book a Free 10-Minute Demo with Our Team]. What’s even better is that, for the affordable price of as little as ₦25,000, you can notarise your documents on our platform.
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