LAND is God’s gift freely given to man for socio-economic usuage and other purposes that are of benefit to mankind. Over time, man has made good use of this God’s precious gift for agricultural and other commercial purposes and for providing shelter and other infrastructural development.

COMMUNITIES and even nations have been known to engage in serious feud over ownership of land, so much so that human lives and property have often wasted in such feud.
IN an attempt to take over the administration of land from their original owners, the military administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo, promulgated the land used Decree of 1978 which ceded lands across the country to the federal and state governments in their areas of jurisdiction. The purpose of such ceding, according to the Act, is to ensure that all encumbrances associated with communal lands were removed to guarantee government’s free usage of land for the purpose to providing public infrastructure.

HOWEVER, the land use Act has been roundly criticized for government’s failure to judiciously adhere to the letters of the Act. Land acquisition by government for developmental purposes is laudable, but cases abound where such lands were rather used for purposes other than that for which they were acquired. This often left communities from which lands were acquired seriously short-changed thereby giving rise to land speculation.

EDO State government had to recently warn land speculators and developers, whose activities had become very worrisome, to steer clear of government land within Benin City and its environs. The warning came on the heels of complaints by some concerned groups over what they perceived as massive encroachment on the Benin Moat along Ikpoba Slope, opposite total filling station in the state capital.

SIMILARLY, the government warned land developers encroaching on its land at Evboriaria Industrial Estate, stressing that persons caught would be made to face the full weight of the law, and in addition, forfeit the land.

LAND speculation and encroachment are twin evils which have bedeviled the development of the state.

ADDED to these, is the exploitative tendencies of community youths and elders who make unnecessary monetary demands from genuine land developers in the guise of community development levy. More often than not, these community miscreants resort to physical assault and molestation of genuine land developers.

WHILE we condemn the attitude of land speculators in its entirety, we equally believe that land speculation thrives as a result of government’s failure to develop such lands for the purpose they were acquired.

ASIDE warning land speculators, government can go a step further by showing some level of transparency by developing lands acquired from communities.

ONLY recently, the Benin Monarch, Oba Erediauwa warned palace Chiefs who indulge in land speculation to desist from such act as the palace was ready to wield the big stick.

WE strongly believe that land speculation and the incidence of intimidation by youths, harassment, extortion and assault on land developers in the guise of demanding for community development levy, can be checked if government comes up with a legislation sanctioning land speculators and youths who demand ransome from prospective developers.

IN this regard, we commend the warning by the Benin Monarch that the palace was ready to wield the big stick against any chief or traditional functionary involved in Land speculation.

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