WHO CAN BE A NOTARY PUBLIC
The Notaries Public Act 1936 provides for the appointment, roles and responsibilities of a Notary Public in Nigeria. In Nigeria, Notaries Public are appointed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria. When a Notary Public is appointed, he is deemed to be an officer of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and has the power to attest to the authenticity of a document and such document will be recognized internationally for any purpose it is meant for.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria may appoint any fit and proper person being a legal practitioner to be a Notary Public for Nigeria (in this Act referred to as a “notary” or as a “notary public”[1].
PROCEDURE FOR THE NOTARIZATION OF A DOCUMENT IN NIGERIA
The procedure for document notarization in Nigeria is as follows:
1. The person or the owner of the document seeking notarization services will submit the document to a Notary Public; and
2. The Notary Public seals or stamps the document (which is a requirement under the Act). Once done, the document is said to have been notarized.
After the notarization process, the Notary Public is expected to keep a register of all the documents notarized for record purposes.
SERVICES OFFERED BY A NOTARY PUBLIC
The services offered by a Notary Public include but are not limited to the following:
· Administration of oaths for giving of evidence
· Notarization of Bills of Exchange
· Obtaining authentication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
· Preparation of Notarial Certificates of Law & Good Standing
· A Notary Public may be engaged in taking Affidavits, Declarations & Depositions
· Verification of Company documents and Verification of identity and/or signature
· A Notary Public may also witness the execution of local and international documents such as Sale and Purchase Agreements
· Transfers of Land Agreement
· Assignments of Intellectual Property
· Power of Attorney
· Deeds
· Security Documentation
· Mortgages
· Company Resolutions, Minutes of Meetings and Reports
IMMIGRATION SERVICES OFFERED BY A NOTARY PUBLIC
A Notary Public can also notarize the various documents below for immigration purposes:
· Birth Certificate
· School Certificate
· Police Clearance Certificate
· Bio-data page of International Passport
· Marriage Certificate
· Driver’s License
· Foreign documents required to be notarized in Nigeria before use
· Affidavits.
In Conclusion, notarization of a document may be a mandatory requirement, consequently, failure to notarize such documents may raise questions of their validity. Another effect is that such document may not be accepted for any official purpose by any authority or court of law in a case, where such document is required to be tendered as an exhibit before any court.
Furthermore, where a notarized document is also required to be used for any official purpose overseas, it must also be authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
REFERENCE:
1. Section 2(1) of The Notaries Public Act 1936.
2. https://www.mondaq.com/nigeria/management/947460/notary-public-services-in-nigeria.