APPRAISAL OF LAND ALLOCATION BENEFICIARIES THROUGH ABUJA GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM, NIGERIA

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APPRAISAL OF LAND ALLOCATION BENEFICIARIES THROUGH ABUJA GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM, NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

 

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study

 

The existence of human beings and terrestrial animals is tremendously supported by land as it provides a surface for us to live, eat and carry out our entire life activities. Land plays a significant role in the development, growth and wealth of a country. It can be referred to as real estate or property, minus buildings and equipment which is designated by fixed spatial boundaries (Chen, 2020).  

One major characteristic of land is that it is fixed in nature, therefore, limited in supply, while the human population is constantly increasing, which then makes the demand for land to increase. This increase in demand versus the limited supply of land needs to be maintained and regulated properly as it could easily turn chaotic, this is why it is important to have a proper system of administering land.

Land administration can be defined as the act of directing, archiving and distributing information on the possession, worth and utilization of land while actualizing a land management policy (Shukla, 2016). The Land administration guidelines by the United Nations in 1996 defines land administration as the “capacities associated with directing developments and utilization of the land, gathering income from the land (through sale, rent, or tax collection), and settling clashes concerning the possession and use of the land”. Land administration includes the documentation and giving of data on the worth proprietorship and the utilization of land and its related resources. Such procedures involve the determination or adjudication of rights and other attributes of the land, the survey and description of these, their detailed documentation and the provision of relevant information in support of land markets (UNECE, 1996).

The legal framework for land administration in Nigeria that is, the Land Use Act (LUA) says that all lands within any state are vested in the Governor of the state and in the case of Federal

Capital Territory (FCT) the minister. Thus, the government holds all lands in trust for all Nigerians. Essentially each governor of a state and minister of the FCT is in charge of allocating land to the eligible citizens (Land Use Act, 1978).

The Federal Capital Territory Abuja (FCTA) was created, among other reasons, to give equal access to land to all Nigerians (Adebanwi, 2011). Since the creation of Abuja and the movement of seat of power to Abuja in 1991, the city has expanded rapidly with limitations on land and the way it is managed. The rapid growth and development has given rise to high demand for land. Abuja has become a land of unity and destination of most Nigerians as well as other Africans due to its unprecedented rate of development. Land in FCT is under the management of the Minister of FCT, who is also the Chairman of Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), as empowered by the Constitution of the Nigeria to manage and administer land (Ezeamaka and Dogo, 2018).

In 2003, the FCTA initiated a land reform programme in order to restore the Abuja Master Plan. Part of this land reform was the establishment of Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) to digitalize the cadastral and land registry system (Ezeamaka and Dogo, 2018).

1.2 Statement of the problem

 

One of the reasons behind the movement of the Federal Capital Territory to Abuja from Lagos in 1991 was to provide equal access to land to all eligible Nigerians. It is however unfortunate that as of the year 2020 land cannot still be accessed by the average Nigerian. Although both the Land Use Act and the constitution has given every Nigerian the right to access land, the alarming rate of inaccessibility of land by the average Nigerian has led a number of researchers to write various papers on the inaccessibility to land in Nigeria (Gbadegesin, 2016; Gbenja, 2018; Chuba, 2011; Odudu, 2015; Oladehinde et al., 2017).

Ezemaka and Bala (2018) in their research show that 80% of successful applicants had help from insiders in FCDA and AGIS who helped them to fast track their applications. This then proves Nuhu’s (2014) statement that avers that allotees are usually a parade of who is who in government, political class and business circle. While, Abdulahi (2020) researched on the accessibility of land by the urban poor with his research showing that access to land by the urban poor is very difficult.The inaccessibility to land in the rapid face of urbanization is one of the challenges that is being faced by Abuja residents and Nigerians.

The problem of this research is to determine the level of allocation and accessibility of land in Abuja through the Abuja Geographic Information System.

1.3 Justification of study

 

The difficulty of accessibility of land by the average Nigerian justifies the need of this study. It is believed that the results of this research will be of great importance to aspiring land owners and property developers, the government, land officers in the Ministry of Lands and Housing, and members of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers.

1.4 Aim and objectives

 

The aim of this research is to analyse the beneficiaries of residential land in Abuja FCT, from 1999 to 2020. In order to achieve this, the objectives of this study are as follows:

  1. Identify the requirements for allocation of residential land in FCT.
  2. Identify the annual number of applicants for various land uses in FCT from 1999 to 2020.
  3. Identify the annual number of beneficiaries for residential land in FCT from 1999 to 2020
  4. Examine the beneficiaries of residential land allocation by gender
  5. Determine the pattern of land allocation in FCT

1.5 Research questions

 

  1. What are the requirements for residential land allocation in FCT?
  2. What is the annual number of applicants for various land uses in FCT?
  3. What is the annual number of beneficiaries for residential land in FCT from 1999- 2020?

1.8 Scope of the study

 

The geographical scope of this study covers the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. While, the content of the focuses on information from Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS).

1.9 Significance of the study

 

Moving forward, this study shall assist policy makers on the allocation and overall land administration in Abuja precisely and Nigeria generally. one major aspect of land administration is land allocation. This can play a great role in the success and failure of a land administration system. This study can become a useful tool in the evaluation and review of the current system of land allocation in the Abuja.

1.10 Limitation of study

 

During the course of this study, certain challenges were encountered particularly at the point of data collection were some Land Allottees were not willing to fill out the questionnaires. Also, getting information from AGIS was quite challenging due to certain bureaucratic factors and classified information.

1.11 Description of study area

 

1.11.1 Geographical description

 

Abuja which is the administrative headquarters of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria is located off the north of the confluence of the Niger River and Benue River. It covers a total land mass of 7,315 square kilometres. It is bordered by Niger state to the West and North,

Kaduna state to the northeast, Nasarawa state to the east and Kogi to the south and southwest. Lying between latitude 8.25 and 9.20 north of the equator and longitude 6.45 and 7.39 east of Greenwich Meridian, Abuja is geographically located in the centre of the country.

 

Figure 1.1 Map of Nigeria showing FCT in green. 

Source: (Adiaha, 2020)

 

 

Figure 1.2 Map of the FCT. 

Source: (Ezeamaka,Daful and Oyetunji, 2018)

 

1.11.2 Historical development 

 

Abuja is a planned city which was created in 1976 by the federal capital territory decree of 1976 and officially became the federal capital of Nigeria on 12th December 1991. Abuja was created primarily to move the federal capital territory from Lagos to Abuja due to certain challenges existing in Lagos such as over population, and dual government role. As a result of the fact that it was more centralised, had fewer population and was more accessible hence, it being chosen as the federal capital territory of Nigeria. Land from Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna were acquired by the federal government to form Abuja.

1.11.3 Administrative structure 

 

The FCT is headed by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, who is appointed by the central government to act in that capacity. The Abuja city is run by the Abuja Municipal Area Council. In addition to civic administration of residents of the city is the location for the federal government of Nigeria, and likewise, the Federal Capital Territory Administration which is responsible for administrating the Federal Capital Territory. The Abuja Municipal Area Council acts in the capacity of a local government, responsible for administration of the city. Councillorship and chairmanship elections are held regularly. The People’s Democratic Party won the 2013 election, as it had in 2010.

1.11.4 Economic base 

 

The economy of the FCT has grown over the years, due to certain indications like a growing population, rising GDP, expanding households, increased investments in real estate, ICT and agricultural sectors. However, local manufacturing production remains limited, leaving the territory dependent on costly imports to meet rising demand. A large amount of the population is made up of civil servants, artisans, traders, farmers and other individual service providers.

1.11.5 Locational characteristics 

 

1.11.5.1 Climate

 

The FCT experiences three major seasons which are the harmattan and rainy season. The rainy season begins from April and ends in October, when daytime temperatures reach 28 °C (82.4 °F) to 30 °C (86.0 °F) and night time lows hover around 22 °C (71.6 °F) to 23 °C (73.4 °F). In the dry season, daytime temperatures can soar as high as 40 °C (104.0 °F) and night-time temperatures can dip to 12 °C (53.6 °F). Even the chilliest nights can be followed by daytime temperatures well above 30 °C (86.0 °F).

1.11.5.2 vegetation

 

The vegetation in Abuja varies with the seasons. During the rainy season the grasses and plants are green and fresh while during the dry season, the leaves fall off and there seems to be a dry out of vegetation. The FCT falls within the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic zone of the West African sub-region.

APPRAISAL OF LAND ALLOCATION BENEFICIARIES THROUGH ABUJA GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM, NIGERIA

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