NG Bar Prop Law

Property law is assessed through multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions and essay or problem questions, though the exact mix varies by session. The Council of Legal Education publishes the current examination format and timetable, so check its official site and your Law School notice board rather than relying on what earlier candidates describe.

The questions are not obscure, but they are applied. The most common losses come from confusing customary and statutory tenure, misstating the Governor's powers under the Land Use Act, ignoring attestation and stamping defects in a deed, and failing to identify the root of title when investigating title.

Retake and resit arrangements are set by the Council of Legal Education and the Body of Benchers and change from time to time. Do not rely on anecdote from previous years; confirm the current resit rules, deadlines and fees directly with the Nigerian Law School or the Council's official publications.

Timing differs between the multiple-choice and written components, and the official timetable is the only reliable source. In essay papers, allocate roughly a minute per mark, answer the question actually asked, and leave a few minutes to check that every statute you cite is correctly named.

Start with tenure and the Land Use Act, because almost every other topic assumes them. Then take deeds and conveyancing, followed by title investigation, co-ownership, leases, mortgages, easements and registration. Finish with compulsory acquisition and compensation, which draws on the Land Use Act you have already mastered.

At minimum the Land Use Act, the Conveyancing Act and the relevant state land instruments registration law, the Stamp Duties Act, and the Land Registration Act or its state equivalents. Learn the sections you can actually apply, and always cite the statute and section in essay answers rather than describing the rule loosely.

You need a working set of leading authorities for each topic, not a long list. Learn the principle, the facts in one line, and why the case matters. Examiners reward accurate application of a few cases far more than a string of names with no proposition attached.

Work through past-style problems under timed conditions, then mark your own answer against the statute. Identify the parties' interests, the nature of the tenure, the formalities complied with and the remedy sought. Structure answers with issue, law, application and conclusion, and keep each step visibly separate.

No. Those figures are set for each session and published by the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Law School. Check their official sites and your own examination instructions for the current numbers rather than relying on any third-party summary, including this one.