The Nigerian Land Use Act: A Curse or a Blessing to the Anglican Church and the Ikwerre Ethnic People of Rivers State

Abstract

The goal of this paper was to conduct a critical evaluation of the Nigerian Land Use Act 1978 in relations to land ownership rights and customary land tenures with particular foci on the effects of the Act on the lands of the Ikwerre ethnic nationality and, the Anglican church. By adopting the historical and realist models of investigation, we presented a brief history of land legislation in Nigeria and illustrated the applicability and effects of the current Land Use Act on private and public entities. We argued that the Act is not in conformity with the individual rights to property enshrined in 1999 Nigeria Constitution (as amended) hence, should be repealed in its entirety.

Keywords: Land Use Act, Land Rights, Militarism, Trust, Nigeria