CHAPTER ONE

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Introduction

Land serves as the foundation for virtually all human activities. It provides the space required for food production, housing, employment, recreation and other essential activities. As one of humanity’s most valuable natural resources, land supports human survival, development and continuous progress.

The procedures for acquiring land differ from one country to another. In Nigeria, different regions operated distinct land tenure systems before 1978. The promulgation of the Land Use Decree of 1978 marked a significant change in land administration by vesting the control and management of land in the government, thereby establishing a formal framework for accessing and allocating land.

In many developing countries, urban land can be acquired through either formal or informal channels. In several cases, the informal sector supplies a greater proportion of available land to prospective users than the formal sector. Despite its significant role in land distribution, however, the activities and operational procedures of the informal land market are often overlooked, poorly understood and inadequately documented.

The rapid expansion of urban centres has intensified the demand for land. However, statutory land allocation procedures have not sufficiently accommodated the needs of people across different income categories. Consequently, informal land acquisition methods have gradually become more prominent as alternative means of meeting the growing demand. Various stakeholders participate in this process, including state and local governments, traditional authorities, land agents and landholding families.

The informal sector’s response to increasing demand for land, particularly for commercial and residential purposes, has encouraged the sale and subdivision of agricultural plots for urban development. This development has produced a complex land management system involving different interests and practices. Assessing the operations of this system has therefore been considered necessary for improving land administration, as demonstrated by similar efforts in several countries.

Statement of the Problem

Applicants seeking to acquire urban land through formal allocation procedures may wait between two and seven years before receiving an allocation. Records reportedly available at the Bureaus of Lands, Survey and Town Planning in Lafia and Owerri indicate that less than 20% of urban land had been allocated to developers through formal channels (Yari, 2002). Such allocations were largely associated with government sites-and-services schemes and resettlement programmes in New Owerri Urban.

Bello (2010) observed that although the Land Use Allocation Committee (LUAC) was established during the 2004–2007 land reforms in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it had not held a meeting to recommend land allocations. Owerri Urban, being a nearby urban centre outside the FCT, consequently became a readily accessible alternative market for land seekers.

In examining the situation in the Republic of Chad, Djeroh (2005) explained that the inability of formal systems to provide adequate access to land and housing had made informal settlements in N'Djamena an alternative solution to the housing difficulties experienced by low-income urban residents. Similarly, Rakodi (2007), in a study of five medium-sized cities in Anglophone Africa—Eldoret in Kenya, Kampala in Uganda, Maseru in Lesotho, Gaborone in Botswana and Enugu in Nigeria observed that informal land delivery systems continued to account for more than half of the land supplied for housing in African cities and represented a particularly important source of land for low-income groups.

Several studies have treated informal land delivery primarily as a land administration problem without sufficiently considering its broader consequences. However, difficulties associated with accessing land are not merely among the causes of urban management problems; they also constitute an urban management challenge in their own right. Land provides the physical foundation upon which cities are developed and operated. It influences the distribution of public goods and services, supports urban economic activities and plays a central role in determining the effectiveness of urban management.

In Owerri Urban, where informal land delivery appears to play a substantial role in urban development, the practices associated with this system may contribute significantly to the challenges facing the city. It is therefore important to investigate and document the urban management implications of informal land transactions and allocation practices.

This research examines informal land delivery as an urban management challenge in Owerri Urban, while considering its relationship with the alienation of public utility land. The study proceeds from the assumption that weaknesses in informal land delivery may constitute a major urban management problem and that other urban challenges may be connected to its operation. Accordingly, the physical, economic and social implications of the system require systematic investigation.

The study seeks to answer the following research questions:

1. How do informal land delivery activities contribute to urban management challenges?

2. What roles do the various stakeholders play in the informal land delivery system (ILDS)?

3. What interventions can improve informal land delivery and promote effective urban management in Owerri Urban?

Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the alienation of public utility land on residents of Owerri Urban, with particular attention to informal land delivery as an urban management issue. The study seeks to make appropriate recommendations for improving land administration and promoting effective and efficient urban management.

The specific objectives are to:

1. Identify the strategies adopted to cope with informal land delivery systems.

2. Examine the nature and existing characteristics of informal land delivery in Owerri Urban.

3. Identify the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders involved in the informal land delivery system.

4. Examine the urban management problems and prospects associated with informal land delivery in Owerri Urban.

5. Recommend appropriate interventions for improving the land delivery system and enhancing urban management in Owerri Urban.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

Urban management is intended to establish a suitable framework through which individuals, institutions and other stakeholders within a city can work towards achieving common urban development objectives. Challenges relating to housing, sanitation, environmental degradation and inadequate community facilities are often associated with the absence of effective mechanisms for allocating land among competing and sometimes conflicting interests.

This study focuses on the alienation of public utility land and the informal delivery of land for residential development by different stakeholders within the study area. Its scope is limited to examining the implications of these land delivery practices for urban management in Owerri Urban.

Justification of the Research

The rapid pace of urbanization in developing countries has resulted in significant changes to the physical, economic, social, political and administrative structures of cities. Land underpins these changes and plays a major role in determining urban growth patterns and the conditions under which investment takes place. As cities expand, the demand for land increases among different individuals, institutions and commercial interests participating in the urban property market.

Formal land delivery systems have often been unable to satisfy the growing demand for urban land, creating opportunities for alternative sources of supply. Consequently, establishing an efficient and effective urban land market has become increasingly important. Understanding how informal land delivery systems operate is particularly necessary because they represent a significant source of land in many Nigerian cities.

The urban economy consists of three fundamental markets: the urban land market, the urban capital market and the urban labour market. These markets are interconnected and depend on one another. Among them, the land market has a particularly direct influence on the physical environment and the quality of life experienced by urban residents.

Urban management involves coordinating activities, responsibilities and functions to ensure that cities operate effectively and serve the interests of their inhabitants. Since land is central to achieving these objectives, investigating informal land delivery practices and their implications for urban management is essential.

This study is therefore justified by the need to understand how informal land transactions and the alienation of public utility land affect urban development, access to community facilities and the general well-being of residents in Owerri Urban. Its findings are expected to provide useful insights for improving land administration, strengthening urban management and supporting more orderly and sustainable urban development.