ON THE COMPULSORY ACQUISITION OF LAND FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA
Abstract Code: 32682

Abstract

The Land Use Act of 1978 in Nigeria permits compulsory acquisition of land for public purposes or overriding public interests, where the government is allowed to revoke any private right to a land without the willing consent of the owner or occupant of such land. The law also prescribed that landowners are entitled to fair and adequate compensation in the case of compulsory acquisition. In practice, however, the payment of compensation to landowners is often below the market value of the their land at the time of acquisition, thus, leading to endless protests and sometimes ending in long legal battles. This paper seeks to explore the experiences and perspectives of landowners on compulsory land acquisitions in Katsina State over a period of 20 years. These perspectives were reviewed against some key events and the periods upon which lands were acquired.