An affidavit is a written statement of facts that you swear, before an officer authorised to take oaths, to be true. Nigerian offices ask for them constantly: to prove your age, to report a lost document, to record a change of name, to state that you are free to marry. It is a small document with real weight. Lying in an affidavit is perjury, which is a crime.
The ones you are likely to need
- Declaration of age - in place of a birth certificate, when there is none. See birth certificates.
- Loss of documents - for a lost passport, certificate, SIM card or licence, usually alongside a police report.
- Change of name - after marriage, divorce, or for any other reason. See change of name.
- Marital status - that you are single and free to marry, for a registry wedding or a foreign authority.
- Correction of details - a misspelt name or a wrong date of birth on a record.
Lagos: general affidavits are sworn online
Since 1 June 2025, general affidavits in Lagos - change of name, declaration of age, loss of documents, loss of a SIM card and the like - are made through the Lagos State Judiciary’s Court Management Information System, LagosCoMiS, instead of in the queue at a court registry.
- Create an account on the LagosCoMiS portal.
- Choose the affidavit from the list, or the general template.
- Fill it in and upload a passport photograph.
- Pay the court fee online.
- Swear and sign as the portal directs, including identification by video where it asks for it.
Affidavits filed in support of a court case still go through the registry. Many people have a lawyer file for them, which is worth it when the wording matters - a change of name that will reach a passport or a land title, for instance.
Which court?
Most offices accept an affidavit from a Lagos State court. Some federal agencies want one from the Federal High Court, which runs its own online process for change of name and declaration of age. Ask the office that will receive it which it wants before you swear, not after.
Write it carefully
- Use your names exactly as they appear on your ID, in the same order.
- State facts, not opinions, and only facts you know.
- Give dates in full. “Born on 4 March 1990”, not “about 35 years old”.
- Read it before you swear it. Once sworn, a mistake means a fresh affidavit.
For use abroad
A foreign authority will usually want a document sworn before a notary public - a senior lawyer appointed to notarise documents - and often authenticated by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well. Ask the receiving authority exactly what it needs before you start.