Commentary · 25 June 2026
Security that works on the day you need it
A legal mortgage that was never perfected, a debenture that was never registered, a guarantee signed by the wrong person — security fails for administrative reasons far more often than legal ones.
Oluwashina O. Olagbende · 4 min read
The position
Lenders and borrowers spend their negotiation on rate, tenor and covenants. Enforcement, when it comes, usually turns on whether the security was completed properly.
The failures repeat. A charge over land where the mortgagor's own title was never perfected, so consent to the mortgage cannot be obtained. A debenture not registered within time at the Corporate Affairs Commission, leaving priority in doubt. A corporate guarantee executed without a supporting board resolution. A share charge with no accompanying transfer instrument or register annotation.
None of this is exotic. It is a checklist, followed to the end, with the evidence of each step filed together rather than scattered across three inboxes.
We prepare and complete security documentation for lenders and borrowers, and we conduct reviews of existing facilities where a party wants to know, before a default, whether what they hold is enforceable.
Continue reading
More from the desk.
- Read
Commentary
Supreme Court voids parts of the NIWA Act and affirms State control of waterfront land
In a judgment delivered in May 2026 the Supreme Court declared sections 12 and 13 of the NIWA Act unconstitutional and restrained the Federal Government from controlling lands adjoining inland waterways in the States.
- Read
Commentary
Lagos tenancy reform: what landlords, tenants and agents should expect
The Lagos Tenancy Bill 2025 was among the property reforms announced on 10 July 2026. Together with the revised land fees, it points to a tighter, more documented rental market in Lagos.
- Read
Legal alerts
CAC moves to strike off 100,000 companies: what your board has 90 days to do
By a public notice dated 15 July 2026, the Corporate Affairs Commission began Batch 6 of its striking-off exercise and gave affected companies 90 days to file outstanding annual returns and beneficial ownership information.

