Building from abroad
Building in Nigeria from abroad: checks before you release the next payment
A practical checklist for owners who fund a build they cannot visit — what to ask for, what to verify, and when to hold a payment.
POBjedu Group editorial team · 21 October 2026 · 6 min read
Most losses on diaspora builds do not happen in one event. They happen one payment at a time, when money is released for a stage nobody independent has checked. The simplest protection is a routine: never release a payment until the work it pays for has been verified.
1. Tie every payment to a stage you can see
Agree payment milestones in writing before work starts — foundation, walls to lintel, roofing, and so on — and pay against completed stages, not dates. A schedule that asks for large sums up front, or for “materials” with no stage attached, is a warning sign.
2. Ask for evidence that cannot be recycled
Photos alone are weak evidence: they can be old, from another site, or carefully framed. Ask for a short walk-through video that starts at a fixed landmark (the gate, a neighbouring building) and moves continuously through the work. Better still, have someone independent take dated, geotagged photos on a visit you did not announce in advance.
3. Check the materials, not just the structure
- Blocks: the size you paid for, and cured properly — not soft or crumbling at the edges.
- Reinforcement: rod sizes and spacing as shown on the structural drawing.
- Cement: the brand and grade you specified, stored off the ground and dry.
- Concrete: the agreed mix, with columns and beams cast in one pour where specified.
4. Reconcile money against work
Keep a simple running table: each payment, what it was for, and whether that work has been seen. If the total paid is running ahead of the work verified, stop and find out why before sending more.
5. Know when to hold
- Updates have stopped, or the same photos keep returning.
- You are asked to pay for a stage before the previous one is finished.
- The contractor reports that funds are exhausted but cannot show where they went.
- Nobody you trust has been on site for several weeks.
Holding a payment is not an accusation. It is a pause until the facts are clear — and a good contractor will understand that.