LSP086: Age of Land Ownership in Nigeria.

By default, the age of maturity under Nigerian Law is Eighteen (18). For instance, consent will be deemed to have been validly given by someone who is at least Eighteen Years old. It’s also the age that marks the commencement age for Nigerians to exercise their franchise in elections. 

However, this benchmark is not the same when it comes to land ownership. By virtue of Section 7 of the Land Use Act, the minimum age for a Nigerian to own land in Nigeria is 21 years old.

While this is a general law, Section 7(a) and (b) create two exceptions. The first exception is that a person, less than 21 years old, can still own land through a duly appointed guardian or trustee. The trustee will then manage the land until the child reaches the age of maturity. The second exception is that by inheritance, any person less than 21 years old can own land in Nigeria.

Without any of these two exceptions, it’s unlawful for someone below 21 years old to own land in Nigeria. And any Contract without any of these two exceptions would be void, null, and unenforceable.

Thank you for reading. See you next week.