Group Wants Laws To Stop Indiscriminate Sale Of Land In Southwest

A regional group has advocated the enactment of a law restricting the outright sale of land by owners to non-state indigenes in a bid to achieve sustainable development in the use and management of land resources.

The group, Yoruba Emancipation Union Worldwide, in an open letter to Southwest governors and legislative arms of governments in the region, signed by its director general, Prof EFG Ajayi, and general secretary, Pastor Agbebi Joel Adebola, stated that the law became imperative to avoid a situation where the inheritance passed unto them by their forefathers gets exhausted and thereby robs the incoming generation of any rights over their land.

The group noted with dissatisfaction what they described as the indiscriminate and outright sale of landed properties by individuals, families, communities, traditional rulers, and custodians, among others, to non-state indigenes, companies, associations, groups, and others, adding that land as a factor of production can be exhausted.

They recommended establishing a lease spanning at most 30 years to allow reversionary interest to operate instead of selling land outright in each state.

They contended that areas designated as residential should be strictly adhered to, and anyone who flouts the said gazetted designation should have his title and right of occupancy revoked.

“South Western Nigeria Governors should immediately revoke any or invalidate the Certificate of Occupancy regarding residential areas already converted to commercial buildings.

“Where a corporate entity purports to have desire in acquiring land, due diligence should be carried out to ascertain the person(s) wearing the corporate veil and reject such proposed fraudulent acquisition.

We wish to state, “and the man died, who in the face of tyrannical acquisition, kept silent.”