The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is in partnership with the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), towards finalising the long overdue review and update of methodologies for compensation rates for public land acquisition in Nigeria, with a focus on crops and economic trees.
A press statement signed by the SA Media to the minister of housing, Mark Chieshe which revealed that the ministry is partnering with the CAAV a renowned UK-based professional body specialising in agricultural and rural valuation in order to leverage on the expertise, knowledge and experience of the international body.
Speaking at the first day of the Knowledge Exchange Programme in London, the Honourable Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Alhaji Abdullahi Tijani Gwarzo, emphasised the significance of the partnership in the context of Nigeria’s ongoing land reforms and noted that the programme marks a critical step in the country’s efforts to review, update and harmonise land compensation rates and standards in line with global best practices.
“This collaboration is vital to our ongoing reforms, designed to tackle the systemic challenges in land governance and administration. By leveraging the specialist knowledge of institutions like CAAV, we are confident in developing a framework that is both effective and sustainable”.
“Our engagement with CAAV will enable us to apply critical professional input in the work we have already done to finalise and develop national reference rates for compensating crops and economic trees in public land acquisition. This will help us implement a dynamic, updatable, and scientifically based central repository of rates for use in various projects,” the minister said.
He revealed that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Ministry embarked on comprehensive land reforms aimed at addressing bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the country’s land value chains. Adding that one of the core aspects of these reforms is the review of outdated compensation rates that have been in use since 2008.
During his remarks, Gwarzo highlighted the challenges faced in implementing the Land Use Act of 1978, which defines the process of compulsory land acquisition and compensation for affected landowners. Explaining further, the minister said these challenges include the outdated compensation rates and the absence of a nationwide, scientifically grounded structure for determining compensation.
In his presentation, Jeremy Moody said the association is pleased to work with the ministry towards achieving its objectives.
The meeting featured technical presentations by the Lead Consultant to the Ministry on the draft Compensation Rates Methodology, Professor Olurotimi Kemiki and secretary and adviser CAAV, Jeremy Moody.