Land Use Act In Nigeria – Detailed Explanation You Should Know

Land Use Act In Nigeria – Detailed Explanation You Should Know. Do You Want To Know More About Land Use Act? Check This Post Now.

Land Use Act In Nigeria

Do you want detailed information on land use act in Nigeria? Do you want to know all it entails? Then you have come to the right platform for this information. In this article, i am going to show you everything you need to know about land use act in Nigeria. Without wasting more of your time, let’s get right into it.

What Is Land Use Act?

One of the most important things you need to understand as a land owner is the Land use act of Nigeria. The land use act used to be called the land use decree. The land use act came into existence in 1978.

The land use act according to chapter 202 of the Constitution of Nigeria, it is:

“An Act to Vest all Land compromised in the territory of each State (except land vested in the Federal government or its agencies) solely in the Governor of the State , who would hold such Land in trust for the people and would henceforth be responsible for allocation of land in all urban areas to individuals resident in the State and to organizations for residential, agriculture, commercial and other purposes while similar powers will with respect to non-urban areas are conferred on Local Governments (27th March 1978) Commencement.”

Features Of Land Use Act

There are some features that the land use act possesses. These features are those things that the land use act addresses. Some of them are:

The problem of lack of uniformity in the laws governing ownership and land-use
The issue of uncontrolled speculation in urban land
The question of access to land rights by Nigerians on equal legal basis
The issue of fragmentation of rural lands arising from either the application of traditional principles of inheritance or population growth and the consequent pressure on land.

Importance Of Land Use Act

One might start to wonder if the land use act was really necessary, yes it was. It centers on majorly ownership rights and that is why it is very important. A land cannot be called yours if you purchased it without certificate of occupancy. The only thing you have is a lease and you should have it in mind that the government can seize your property if you commit a serious offense.

Do you know that under this act, the governor is solely responsible for allocating land in the urban areas to individuals that live in the state or to organizations for residential, agricultural, commercial and other purposes while similar powers with respect to non-urban areas are conferred on the Local Government.

Advantages Of Land Use Act

It is no longer news that the land use act has some advantages. Let’s explore some of them:

It ensures that whosoever requires land for any purpose with the ability to make the best use of it will obtain it.
It makes it illegal for indigenes to give out land without the government’s approval as only the Governor of every state has the power to give out urban lands, and the local area councils possesses the power to give out rural lands.
It Prevents the practice of land speculators purchasing many acres of land, especially in developed urban locations with no intention of immediate or future use, but to leave it and then sell for a higher price in the future to another person.
It Reduces boundary disputes, the number, and frequency of court cases of land ownership since the survey of acquired land is compulsory for occupancy right to be granted.
It Allows for easy acquisition of land for agricultural use as it gives farmers with not more than 500 hectares of land for crop production or 5000 hectares of land for grazing

Disadvantages Of Land Use Act

Every thing that has advantages also has disadvantages. Here are some of the disadvantages of land use act:

It leads to abuse of office as the governors may abuse the privileges that has been given to them.
Another disadvantage of the land use act is that it leads to delay in acquisition of land. The government must approve lands before one acquires them with makes it a sort of long process.

We Believe This Article Was Helpful, Don’t Hesitate To Share This Information With Your Friends On Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and Google plus.

Copyright Warning: Contents on this website may not be republished, reproduced, redistributed either in whole or in part without due permission or acknowledgement. All contents are protected by DMCA.

The content on this site is posted with good intentions. If you own this content & believe your copyright was violated or infringed, make sure you contact us via This Means to file a complaint & actions will be taken immediately.