Land Policy as a Constraint to Sustainable Housing Delivery in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

Inadequate housing is one of the basic problems of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Efforts by private and public housing developers to enhance sustainable housing delivery in the region over the years have failed due to some constraints. One of such constraints is land policy. This paper examines Nigeria’s land policy as a constraint to sustainable housing delivery in the Niger Delta region of the country. Primary and secondary data were collected and analysed for the study. Results of data analysis reveals that the present land policy in Nigeria as applicable to the Niger Delta region is cumbersome and anti-poor in terms of documentation of land transactions, land registration and land titling. The paper argues that in view of the fact that most households in the Niger Delta region are poor, coupled with the frustrating nature of land titling under the present land policy in the country, most people in the region have limited access to land for housing development as they cannot cope with the hassles of land registration in the region. The paper advocates for pro-poor land reform in Nigeria and concludes that such reform should be based on a comprehensive review of the nation’s Land Use Act of 1978 to facilitate access to land for housing development by the poor in the region.