Compulsory acquisition of land in Nigeria: A case study

Abstract

For many centuries, the issue of compulsory land acquisition in Nigeria has constituted one of the most important issues confronting many Nigerian communities. In pre-colonial times, lands of many village communities were regularly required for public purposes such as burial grounds, fetish grounds, playing fields, etc. Since then, naturally, the demand for lands for public purposes has increased tremendously, particularly with the need for more land for agricultural and industrial development projects. Consequently, Nigerian Federal and State Governments as well as Statutory Corporations have had occasion to exercise their powers of compulsory acquisition of occupied and unoccupied lands; and in 1978, the Federal Government promulgated the Land Use Decree. This article looks at these developments within an empirical framework, and argues in favour of a diligent and adequate implementation of the decree at this its initial stage.