Less than five per cent of Nigeria’s land is properly documented – Ex-FUTA VC

In this interview with DAMILOLA AINA, the Chairman, Presidential Technical Committee on Lands Reforms and former Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Peter Adeniyi, speaks on land reform policies in Nigeria

The Presidential Committee on Land Reforms was inaugurated in 2009 to address land governance. What have been your findings since its inauguration?

Well, first of all, I think it is important to state the terms of reference given to the committee because it is in that context that would make it easier for readers to know what we are addressing or to allow readers to know the assignment given to the committee.

We were given about eight-point agenda as terms of reference. The first four were actually to deal with knowing who owns what, and where and that was because of what the constitution says that the state and local governments are the ones to implement the Land Use Act. So the first term of reference for us was to collaborate and provide technical assistance to states and local governments to undertake land cadastration nationwide.

In doing so, we have the second term of reference that determines the individual possession rights using best practices and the most appropriate technology.

The third says that we are to ensure that land cadastral boundaries and title holdings are demarcated in such a way that communities, armlets, village areas and towns will be recognisable. And the last one is to encourage and assist states and local governments to establish an arbitration mechanism for land ownership conflict resolution.

To make recommendations for the establishment of a National Depository for land title holdings and records in all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. The next one was to make recommendations for the establishment of a mechanism for land valuation in both rural and urban areas in all parts of the federation and lastly, to make any other recommendations that will ensure effective, simplified, sustained, and successful land administration in Nigeria.

These were the terms of reference given to us by late President Musa Yar’adua at that time. As we know, land reform takes a lot of time and we were only eight members of this committee and the country is that big. So Mr President at that time recognised that there was no way an ad-hoc committee like ours could complete the land reform at a stretch, so he decided to send a bill to the National Assembly for the establishment of a National Land Reform Commission.

In other words, the Presidential Technical Committee of Land Reform was conceived as a mere forerunner to the National Land Reform Commission because the belief was that the assembly would consider it, and that would have terminated our appointment.