Yusuf Bala Usman Institute Calls For Land Reforms In Northern Nigeria

By Sani Aliyu, Zaria

The Yusufu Bala Usman Institute in Zaria has advocated for land reforms to aid conflict resolution strategies in northern Nigeria, with a view to addressing local land disputes.

Director of the Institute, Malam Attahiru Usman who made this known in Zaria on Tuesday at the research project findings dissemination to the communities affected by land disputes.

The research was conducted by the Yusufu Bala Usman Institute with support from the British Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) SPRiNG programme.

Attahiru said, if there is good reason for land acquisition it should be done with honesty so that individuals or communities are properly compensated when the need arises.

He also called on government to ensure that the land rights of farmers and pastorals are protected.

The Director advised government to organize consultations and request legal opinions on the 1978 Land Use Act and propose reforms.

According to him, research survey has shown that land expropriation is widespread in Kaduna, Katsina and Bauchi States, impacting individually owned farmland, forest as well as grazing reserves which the states were meant to protect.

The Director also added that land grabbing has negative socio-economic consequences for the rural population in the states.

He expressed satisfaction with the high turn out of m victims with land issues and their individual contributions.

Also speaking, Malam Mukhtar Abdulhameed of Yusuf Bala Usman Institute said, the research has examined how land is governed in the rural areas of four states in northern Nigeria.

He said the research also focused on the rights of access to land for farmers and pastoralists and the socio-economic, ecological and climate impacts of changes in land use and land ownership.

Mukhtar added that, the seizure of land is often carried out by political elites for their private interests and in some cases by corporations.

“As victims are usually poor communities, legal redress is rare,” he noted.

He explained that the research project was conducted in Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa and Bauchi States during dry and wet seasons from 2024 to 2026.