I wanted to write on this but found an article online about it. This article explains it better in simple terms and I wouldn't have done it better.

So I will just go ahead and share the article with a little modifications but all accolades to the original writer.


Most people who purchase lands in Lagos don't really understand the meaning of this Real Estate terms. As a potential buyer wishing to buy a land or build a new house you must be conversant with a few of this figures. The first hurdle is to understand the system of Land measurement in Nigeria.

In Nigeria today, Land is measured in Hectares, Acres, Meters and Feet. These measurements are affected by factors, which includes development pattern, human and environmental factors.

Lets start by asking what is the size of standard plot in Nigeria?

According to the dictionary meaning of a plot: A plot is a marked out piece of Land for the purpose of building or farming. The word 'plot' is an arbitrary term used to describe a land division carved out for property development.

The size of a plot can vary for different reasons but according to Nigeria's land division, the appropriate plot for a house construction is 50 x 100ft which can accommodate a standard house with a small compound. To better understand Land divisions used in Nigeria, different units of area are used as follows:

Hectares (ha)

A hectare is one of the least known metric units and one which potential buyers and Estate developer seems to struggle with - it is a land measuring 100m x 100m OR 328ft x 328ft OR 10,000sqm. It is about two and half acres. A Hectare consist of 15 plots.

ACRE

An Acre is a standard unit of measurement used by Land sellers and it is almost equivalent to the size of a standard football field. An Acre is a product of any rectangular plot of land giving a total of 4,046sqm OR 43,560sq ft. An Acre consist of 6 plots each measuring 60 x 120ft.

In Lagos State, the standard size of a plot is 60 x 120ft ( 18m x 36m i.e 648sqm), while in some other cities of the country, plots are measured in 50 x100ft.

Written by

Esv Ann Nwaukwa, ANISV, RSVEstate Surveyors & Valuers at Paul Osaji & Co.