CORRUPTION IN LAND ADMINISTRATION IN NIGERIA: LEGAL ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/iiumlj.v33i1.1016Keywords:
Land Access, Land Administration, Land Corruption, Executive Immunity, Rule of LawAbstract
Corruption is a phenomenon which has spread into all sectors of Nigerian public life. Many research efforts on corruption focused on financial and political issues, while less attention has been paid to corruption in land in Nigeria. This study gives an overview of corruption in Nigeria. It examined corruption in land administration under Nigeria’s Land Use Act 1978 and how this stultifies sustainable development in land use and planning. Efforts of Nigeria’s Federal Government in combating this trend were discussed, while issues and challenges militating against the efforts were interrogated. The doctrinal research approach, relying on primary and secondary sources, was adopted. The primary source consisted of statutes (Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, Land Use Act 1978, transparency laws such as Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000 and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004, etc.) and the case law while the secondary source included journal articles, textbooks,
conference proceedings and the internet. Findings reveal that land administration in Nigeria was faced with myriads of problems such as plural land tenure systems, multiple property legislations, weak and (sometimes insincere) implementation of land policy. It also highlights that although the Nigerian government has enacted comprehensive transparency and anti-corruption laws, their effectiveness has been undermined by persistent official corruption, rent-seeking behaviour and the constitutional immunity granted to certain public officials. It concluded that while the Land Use Act 1978 and other relevant property legislations should be reformed to clog corruption holes, these laws should be implemented strictly for national development
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