NBA SETS 10 PERCENT MINIMUM FEE FOR LAND TRANSACTIONS IN BAYELSA

The Yenagoa and Sagbama branches of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA have directed that from October 1, 2025, no legal practitioner within and outside Bayelsa State shall charge less than 10 percent of the purchase sum as professional fees for preparing title deeds on land transactions.

The decision was reached at a joint meeting of the Remuneration Committees of both branches held on September 24, 2025.

A statement jointly signed by Barrister C.B. Kekemeke, Chairman, NBA Yenagoa Branch; Barrister O.J. Sampson, Chairman, NBA Sagbama Branch; Prof. Pereowei Subai, Chairman, Remuneration Committee, NBA Yenagoa Branch; and Barrister R.M. Whyte, Chairman, Remuneration Committee, NBA Sagbama Branch warned that it would amount to professional misconduct for any lawyer within or outside the state to charge below the stipulated fee for land documentation in Bayelsa.

According to the statement, defaulters will be reported to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee for sanction.

The statement further stressed that the enforcement is aimed at ensuring uniformity, fairness, and professional standards in legal practice across the state.

Reported by Bright Okpo