How do you go about owning a land in Nigeria? In Nigeria, there are various land tenure systems that vary from the villages, towns or cities. The idea behind land tenure system in Nigeria is to regulate land ownership behavior in the country. There are various forms of land tenure systems in Nigeria ranging from Communal Ownership, Inheritance Tenure System, Leasehold Tenure System, Rent Tenure System, Gift Tenure System, Freehold Tenure System and Tenant at Government will.
We will talk about the following:
- Communal land tenure system
- Inheritance tenure system
- Leasehold tenure system
- Gift tenure system
- Rent tenure system
- Freehold tenure system
- Tenants at government will
Contents
Communal Land Tenure System
Communal land tenure system promotes the community as the governing power of the land. The head of the community decides the basis for land sharing or ownership. This system encourages large scale farming but cannot be used as collateral for a loan.
Inheritance Tenure System
In inheritance tenure system, land ownership is transferred at the death of the main owner to the next of kin. This system provides for children yet unborn but sometimes land allocation may lead to conflicts among beneficiaries and other family members.
Leasehold Tenure System
Leasehold tenure system is an ownership of a temporary right to hold land in which a tenant holds rights to the land by some form of title from a landlord. This system allows for permanent crop cultivation depending on the lease period but it cannot serve as security for loans.
Gift Tenure System
Gift tenure system of land ownership in which rights to a piece of land is voluntarily given out by the owner to another person. It can be used to source for a loan from financial institutions by the new owner although the land ownership can be revoked by a court order.
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Rent Tenure System
In the rent tenure system, a tenant pays a specified amount to a landlord for the use of the land over a defined period. This rental period is typically much shorter compared to leasehold systems. Consequently, this system often discourages long-term planning by the tenant.
Freehold Tenure System
In the freehold tenure system, an individual pays a specified amount of money to obtain ownership rights to a piece of land. Under this system, the land can be used as collateral for loans. However, acquiring land through this system tends to be expensive.
Tenants at Government Will
The “Tenants at Government Will” system in Nigeria involves the Federal Government allocating land to farmers. While this land is relatively inexpensive to acquire, it cannot be used as collateral for loans.
Land tenure is a legal framework that defines land ownership within a specific jurisdiction.
In Nigeria, with its federal system of government, land tenure laws are primarily established by individual states. This topic often garners significant attention, commonly referred to as the “Land Tenure System.”
To delve deeper into this subject, we conducted comprehensive research on land tenure in Nigeria. Our findings are detailed in this article, aiming to contribute to the ongoing debates about the land tenure system in the country.
