(a) Define the term land tenure system and give four examples. (b) (i)Discuss briefly Land Use Decree (ii) State two advantages and two disadvantages of the...

(a) Land tenure system and four examples

Land tenure system is the system of customs and laws by which land is owned, acquired, held, controlled and used by an individual or a community.

Four examples are:

• Inheritance (land passed down from parents to children).
• Purchase / freehold (outright buying of land).
• Lease / leasehold (land held for a fixed period on payment).
• Communal ownership (land owned by a whole community); rent/tenancy, gift and pledge are other examples.

(b) (i) Land Use Decree

The Land Use Decree (Land Use Act) of 1978 is a Nigerian law that vests all land within a state in the Governor of that state, who holds it in trust for the people. Land is granted to individuals and organisations through a Certificate of Occupancy; urban land is controlled by the state Governor and rural land by the Local Government.

(ii) Two advantages and two disadvantages

Advantages

• It makes land more easily available for development and government projects.
• It reduces land litigation and disputes, and a Certificate of Occupancy can be used as collateral for loans.

Disadvantages

• Obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy is often slow, costly and bureaucratic.
• Government can revoke land with inadequate compensation, and excessive government control discourages large-scale private acquisition.