A survey plan is a document that measures the boundary of a
parcel of land. It gives an accurate measurement, description of the piece of
land and contains the following information; the name of the owner of land
being surveyed, the address or description, the size and the drawn out portion
as mapped out on the survey plan document, the beacon numbers, the Surveyor who
drew up the survey plan and the date it was drawn and a stamp showing that the
land is either free from government acquisition or not. So how and why does one
chart a survey plan in Lagos?
The major reason is to get what is known as a Land
Information. Before a transaction is consummated over a plot of land, it is
always advisable to chart the survey plan presented for the land to basically
find out whether it falls under government acquisition or not and as well
authenticate the claim of ownership to the land. While charting a Survey Plan
can be done by private individuals or organizations, it is also one of the
procedures involved in the issuance of
Certificates of Occupancy or Governor's Consent to persons who have applied for
them at the Lagos State Land Bureau.
The procedure for Charting a Survey Plan starts with obtaining
an Application Form for Land Information and Payment Advice from the Accounts
Department of the Office of the Surveyor General at No.87 Awolowo Way, Ikeja/
For survey plans that carries a single name, the fee for charting is N10,000
and N1,000 for development levy, while the fee for one that carries Mr. and
Mrs. is N20,000 and N1,000 for development levy.
The next step is to go to the designated banks stated on the
payment advice, pay and obtain original receipt with teller and then submit
them along with the following documents at the front desk office of the
Surveyor General's Office: the completed application form for land information
and a copy of the survey plan. A file for the application is then opened at
this stage.
From the front desk office, the file is sent to the Accounts
Department for verification of receipts of charting and endorsement. If
cleared, the file is sent to the Records Unit for proper confirmation/screening
of red copy side by side with the applicant's copy. File is then sent to
charting room to ascertain the status of the property (acquired or free from
government acquisition) and execute a composite plan to affirm the authenticity
of ownership. The officer in charge of charting does the verification and
confirmation of charting and then sends the result (a Land Information
Certificate) to the Director of Coordination, transactions and records
department for final clearance. At the final stage, the result is sent to the
front desk office for filling and a text message is sent to the applicant to
come and pick up the Land Information Certificate. On the average, the entire
process takes between a month and two to complete.
Source: Castle Weekly Magazine.
