Abstract
There is strong evidence that most land transactions in Nigerian urban areas take place in the private or informal land market and remain untitled. Only a small percentage of land transactions take place through government allocation even though it ensures greater tenure security. This study examines gender distribution in the allocation of government lands in Akure, Nigeria and the rate of land title registration in the private land market using secondary data of land allocation and Certificate of Occupancy for a period of 10 years (2009-2018) from the Lands Department of the Ministry of Works, Land and Housing, Akure. Close-ended questionnaires were administered to the officials in charge of the records and the Director of the Department was interviewed. Primary data were analysed using weighted mean scores, while secondary data were analysed using ratio and difference measures, trend analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings show that the number of registered land titles in private land was lower than the number of government land allocations even though more transactions took place in the private land market. The time taken to process land title registration and lack of awareness were ranked highest among factors affecting land title registration. Although there were no gender specific requirements in the process of land allocation and title registration, stereotypes appear to play a role in land distribution decisions and title registration across the study area. A risk ratio of as high as three to one (males to females) in land allocation and 10 to one in land title registration was observed in some years. The paper recommends educating people, especially women, about the importance of land titling and accessing government land, which is far more secure than private land. Recommendations are also made towards a better land registration process in the study area.
Highlights
The importance of land cannot be over-emphasised
Land registration is vital to tenure security, which can lead to land investment, land value appreciation, a reduction in land disputes and litigation costs, a more efficient land market, greater access to credit facilities and efficient redistribution of property (Byamusigha, 1999; De Soto, 2000; Awuah & Hammond, 2013; Nwuba & Nuhu, 2018)
This paper examines government land allocation and title registration of private lands using the records of the Lands Department, Ministry of Works, Lands and Housing, Akure, for a period of 10 and seven years, respectively
Summary
The importance of land cannot be over-emphasised. Land contributes significantly to production (agriculture, manufacturing and building construction); and it is a source of power, social prestige, cultural identity and heritage (Lipton, 2009; Odeny, 2013). Rakodi and Leduka (2004) and Durand-Lasserve (2006) believe that more transactions take place in lands held under customary tenure in the private or informal sector than in the formal or public land sector. This means that a greater number of people gain access to land through the informal land market. The paper further examines the gender differentials in both the formal and informal land markets while looking at factors that hinder land title registration in the city. What is the gender distribution of private titled lands that were issued C of O between 2011 - 2018?
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