By Francesca Hangeior
The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has partnered with the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, a UK-based body specializing in agricultural and rural valuation.
This collaboration, announced during a Knowledge Exchange Programme in London on Sunday, aims to overhaul and modernize compensation rates for public land acquisition in Nigeria, specifically focusing on crops and economic trees.
This is according to a statement signed by Special Adviser Media & Strategy to the Minister, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Mark Chieshe on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Gwarzo, highlighted the significance of this partnership as part of Nigeria’s ongoing land reforms.
He described the programme as a pivotal step towards aligning Nigeria’s land compensation rates 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,” Gwarzo said.
He noted that Under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Ministry has been working to address inefficiencies within the country’s land value chains.
According to Gwarzo, one critical aspect of these reforms is the long-overdue revision of compensation rates, which have remained unchanged since 2008.
Gwarzo noted the significant challenges posed by the outdated rates established under the Land Use Act of 1978, which governs compulsory land acquisition and compensation.
“These challenges include the outdated compensation rates and the absence of a nationwide, scientifically grounded structure for determining compensation,” he explained.
To tackle these challenges, the government, through the National Technical Development Forum on Land Administration, has been working to create a revised compensation framework.
The Ministry’s partnership with CAAV will be essential in ensuring that the updated compensation rates reflect current realities and meet international standards.
“Our engagement with CAAV will enable us to apply critical professional input in the work we have already done to finalize 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,” Gwarzo added.
The event also featured presentations by the Lead Consultant to the Ministry on the draft Compensation Rates Methodology, Professor Olurotimi Kemiki, and Secretary and Adviser of CAAV, Jeremy Moody.
Moody expressed the association’s satisfaction in collaborating with Nigeria on this initiative, saying, “The association is pleased to work with the Ministry towards achieving its objectives.”
The Knowledge Exchange Programme will continue over the week, with both sides expected to exchange valuable insights.
The final outcomes from these discussions will contribute to a report that is set to be presented by the Ministry in October 2024.