LAND ADMINISTRATION IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

Land remains the single most important asset for national development, and its administration in Nigeria is anchored on the Land Use Act 1978, which vests all land in each state in the Governor to be held in trust for the benefit of all Nigerians. This paper examines the challenges and prospects for sustainable development of land administration in Nigeria, with particular reference to Rivers State. It interrogates the statutory and judicial framework governing the alienation of interests in land, including the long-controversial requirement of Governor's consent under section 22 of the Act, the question of whose duty it is to obtain such consent, when it must be obtained, and the consequences of failure to do so. The paper argues that while the consent requirement was designed to centralise land control and guard against speculation, its bureaucratic administration in Rivers State has, in practice, undermined tenure security, discouraged investment, and slowed the pace of sustainable urban and economic development in Port Harcourt and its environs. The paper further examines the peculiar challenges of customary tenure, weak land titling infrastructure, unplanned urbanisation, and oil-related environmental degradation confronting land administration in the State. It finds considerable promise, however, in recent judicial developments, particularly the Supreme Court's decision in Yakubu Ibrahim & Ors v Simon Obaje, and in prospects for digitisation, legislative reform, and institutional coordination. The paper concludes with recommendations directed at reconciling regulatory oversight with the facilitation of sustainable development in Rivers State.