Students of FULafia reignite debate on land use act

As the Land Use Act continues to generate interest, students in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Design, Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), held a debate on land tenure system in Nigeria for 400-level students of the department as part of their examination process.

The topic of the debate was: "Land Tenure System in Nigeria: Implications for Rural Land Use and Conservation."

The course coordinator, Mr Yashim Jerry Thomas, stated that the activity was designed to encourage public speaking, critical thinking and application of course content.

Those present at the event included the head of the department, Prof. Ibrahim Abdullahi, immediate past head of the department, Dr Muhammed Kabir Dahiru, and Dr B.A. Dogo.

It should be noted that in Nigeria, the land tenure system dictates how individuals and groups can own, use and manage land. 

It's a mix of formal and informal systems, with the Land Use Act of 1978 aiming to standardise land ownership across the country. 

Key aspects of the Nigerian Land Use Act (1978) include vesting all land in the state in the hands of each state governor, who holds it in trust for the people. 

Individuals and entities can acquire rights of occupancy (statutory or customary) from the governor or local government. 

Some of the challenges faced by this system include bureaucratic delays, potential for land grabbing, and conflicts between statutory and customary rights. 

Hence there is an ongoing discussion/debate about reforming the Land Use Act to address issues like over-centralisation of land ownership, ambiguous provisions and the need to integrate customary land rights into formal processes.