Anybody that has had dealings in the real estate sector in Nigeria, particularly in the urban areas like Lagos and its environs will know the numerous dirt and risks associated with land acquisition and development. Prominent among the hazards that bewitch the process of land acquisition and ownership in Nigeria is the menace of the ‘omo onile’ (as it is popularly called) which literally means ‘sons of the landowners’; the ‘ajagungbale’ (meaning one that ‘fights war to obtain...

PROHIBITION OF DEMAND FOR FEE IN REGARD TO CONSTRUCTION Section 11 of the Law is by far the most popular provision of the Law. Anybody who has done construction work in Lagos and its environs has one tale or the other to tell about the notorious omo onile. They are basically hoodlums who lurk around construction areas, charge developers for every tipper of sand/cement/gravel brought to site; then, at various stages of building, they throw in more obstacles and demand payment of huge sums...

The biggest cities on the planet tend to be the ones most in need of an effective security system. One feature of the modern integrated city-wide security system is the Closed-Circuit Television, or CCTV, which enables people to monitor activities from remote locations using installed video cameras. The city of Lagos will be getting its own video surveillance system starting next month if all goes to plan. The Lagos State government has indicated that it wants to boost its capacity to keep...