LAND TENURE LAW AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Development will not be sustainable without the effective management of land system in Nigeria. Except efforts are made by the government to mainstream sustainability into national planning and policies for development, sustainable economic development would not be achievable. This paper reflects on the Land Tenure System in Nigeria before the advent of the Land Use Act to determine whether or not the land tenure laws at their various stages of operation in Nigeria have been able to sustain the required development. In view of this, the paper discusses the various Land Tenure Laws in Nigeria predating 1900 up to the promulgation of the Land Use Act 1978 and examines whether their provisions and the various land tenure system evolved have been able to sustain economic and social development in the country.