A businessman and real estate developer, Femi Kukoyi, has raised concerns over an alleged 10 per cent survey fee imposed on property transactions involving a change of ownership in Oyo State, questioning the legal and professional basis for the charge.
Kukoyi, who writes from Bodija, Ibadan, said the fee could impose a significant financial burden on property buyers, particularly where the property in question has already been surveyed and there is little or no new fieldwork required.
He argued that while professional surveyors deserve appropriate compensation for genuine surveying services, the basis for calculating a change-of-ownership charge as a percentage of the property’s purchase value requires clarification.
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According to him, when virgin land is surveyed, the process typically involves site visits, measurements, establishing coordinates, identifying boundaries and preparing the necessary survey documentation.
However, he questioned whether the same level of technical work is required when ownership of an already surveyed property changes.
“Why should changing ownership on an existing survey cost millions of naira when little or no new surveying work is being done?” he asked.
Kukoyi illustrated the potential financial impact of the alleged 10 per cent formula, noting that a ₦50 million property could attract a ₦5 million charge, while a ₦100 million property could result in a ₦10 million fee. A ₦500 million commercial property, he said, could potentially attract as much as ₦50 million.
He consequently questioned what specific surveying work would justify such charges where the property’s boundaries, coordinates and existing survey remain unchanged.
Kukoyi called for clarification from Surveyor Ajibade Bashiru, whom he identified as Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, Oyo State Branch, and Surveyor Adeoye, whom he identified as the Oyo State Surveyor General.
He urged the officials to explain the professional and regulatory basis for the alleged fee arrangement and clarify whether the charge constitutes a government levy, a professional fee, a recommended charge or a compulsory payment.
He also asked for transparency regarding the beneficiaries of the fees and whether surveyors have discretion to charge less than the alleged 10 per cent.
Among the questions he wants answered are who introduced the 10 per cent formula, the law or regulation that makes it compulsory, the actual services provided in exchange for the payment and the role of the Surveyor General’s Office in the process.
Kukoyi further questioned whether disciplinary or other consequences apply to surveyors who decline to apply the percentage.
He argued that tying a professional fee to the value of a property rather than the amount of work performed could create an unfair financial burden for property buyers.
“When a ₦50 million property can generate a ₦5 million fee merely because ownership changed, while little or no corresponding new field surveying work is apparent, property buyers are entitled to question whether the system has become more about generating money than compensating professionals for actual work performed,” he said.
However, Kukoyi stressed that his concerns were not an argument against paying surveyors for their professional services.
“If substantial surveying work is performed, surveyors deserve appropriate professional compensation,” he said, adding that where an existing survey only requires an ownership update, the charge should reasonably reflect the work involved.
He also called on Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to order an independent review of the alleged change-of-ownership survey fee system rather than leaving the matter solely to the surveying establishment.
According to him, an independent review would help establish the legality, purpose, beneficiaries and actual professional basis of the disputed charge.
Kukoyi said the issue was particularly important given Oyo State’s efforts to attract investors, developers and businesses, arguing that unexpected or excessive transaction costs could discourage investment in the state’s property market.
“Oyo State cannot invite investors with one hand while allowing questionable transaction costs to drive them away with the other,” he said.
He urged the relevant authorities to publish the legal and regulatory framework governing the charge if one exists and provide details of how the funds collected are administered.
“If there is a legitimate professional and legal justification, publish it. If there is a government regulation authorising it, publish it. If money is collected, tell the public who receives it,” Kukoyi said.
He maintained that greater transparency would help resolve the controversy and protect the interests of property owners, investors and professionals in the surveying sector.
“The land has not moved. The boundaries have not changed. The coordinates already exist. So why should changing ownership of a ₦50 million property cost ₦5 million?” he asked.
Kukoyi said property owners and investors in Oyo State deserve clear answers on the matter.
