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The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Delta State, Mr. Ekemejero Ohwovoriole, SAN, has said that a comprehensive understanding of the Land Use Act of 1978 is essential for safeguarding property rights in Nigeria.
Ohwovoriole made the assertion through the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, while declaring open a one-day capacity-building workshop for legal officers and stakeholders from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state.
He explained that the training was designed to provide participants with an in-depth understanding of the Land Use Act, its objectives, key provisions, implementation strategies, and the challenges associated with its enforcement.
According to him, land-related disputes constitute a significant portion of cases involving the government, particularly issues relating to land acquisition, revocation of rights of occupancy, issuance of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O), compensation, and the scope of governmental authority over land.
“These matters are critical not only to governance but also to national development. Many disputes do not arise from bad faith by officers in the Ministry of Lands and Survey, but from gaps between what the law requires and what is done in practice,” he said.
He noted that such gaps often place legal practitioners in difficult positions when defending government actions that were not strictly carried out in accordance with the law, stressing that proper knowledge and adherence to legal procedures would significantly reduce litigation.
Ohwovoriole said the ministry invited a leading expert in land law, Professor Emeka Chianu, to guide participants on how to properly apply the law and close procedural gaps that frequently lead to legal disputes.
He further observed that although the Land Use Act has been in force since 1978, Nigeria’s socio-economic environment has evolved significantly, making continuous interpretation and understanding of the law imperative.
In his lecture, Prof. Chianu provided an overview of the governor’s powers under the Land Use Act, the legal status of letters of allocation, government authority to impose ground rent, procedures for obtaining Certificates of Occupancy, and the legal framework for revocation of rights of occupancy.
The workshop attracted representatives from the Ministry of Lands and Survey, Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency, Delta Development and Property Authority (DDPA), and the Office of the Surveyor-General of Delta State, among other stakeholders.
