The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has launched a groundbreaking partnership with the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), a prominent UK-based professional body specializing in agricultural and rural valuation.
The collaboration aims to leverage CAAV’s expertise to finalize the long-overdue review and update of compensation rates for public land acquisition in Nigeria, with a specific focus on crops and economic trees.
The initiative was officially kicked off with the Knowledge Exchange Programme in London, where the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Alhaji Abdullahi Tijani Gwarzo, underscored the significance of the partnership.
He highlighted that the programme represents a crucial step in Nigeria’s land reform efforts, designed to review, update, and harmonize land compensation rates and standards in alignment with global best practices.
“This collaboration is vital to our ongoing reforms, aimed at addressing systemic challenges in land governance and administration.
“By tapping into the specialist knowledge of institutions like CAAV, we are confident that we can develop a framework that is both effective and sustainable,” Gwarzo stated.
He noted that the partnership aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which encompasses comprehensive land reforms to address inefficiencies in the country’s land value chains.
According to him, a key component of the reforms is the revision of outdated compensation rates, which have been in place since 2008.
Gwarzo further detailed the challenges related to implementing the Land Use Act of 1978, which governs compulsory land acquisition and compensation.
He said the challenges include outdated compensation rates and the lack of a nationwide, scientifically grounded structure for determining fair compensation.
He said, that to address the issues, the Nigerian government, through its National Technical Development Forum (NTDF) on Land Administration, has been working on a revised compensation regime.
He further stated that the partnership with CAAV is expected to offer crucial insights and methodologies, ensuring that compensation rates are updated in real time and meet international standards.
“Our engagement with CAAV will provide essential professional input into the development of national reference rates for compensating crops and economic trees in public land acquisition.
“This will help us establish a dynamic, updatable, and scientifically based central repository of rates for use in various projects,” the Minister added.
The first day of the Knowledge Exchange Programme featured technical presentations by Professor Olurotimi Kemiki, Lead Consultant to the Ministry on the draft Compensation Rates Methodology, and Jeremy Moody, Secretary and Adviser to CAAV.
Moody expressed CAAV’s enthusiasm for collaborating with the Ministry to achieve its objectives.
The programme will continue throughout the week, with both parties sharing valuable insights and experiences.
Meanwhile, the outcomes of the engagement are expected to contribute to the Ministry’s final report, slated for presentation in October 2024.
