Land Use Act: FG Has No Control Over Land Outside FCT – Falana

Human rights activist, Femi Falana, SAN, on Monday, said the Federal Government has no power to control lands outside the Federal Capital Territory.

The activist explained that under the Land Use Act, the Federal Government cannot review the grazing routes across the country.

It could be recalled that President Buhari recently approved the committee to review 368 grazing routes across 25 states in Nigeria.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Programme monitored by Africa Investigative Magazine on Monday, Femi Falana, noted that the President cannot be looking for grazing routes in 2021 as far as the law is concerned.

Hear him: “The Northern Governors’ Forum, Southern Governors’ Forum, Miyetti Allah, and other stakeholders have concluded that open grazing routes are obsolete and no longer relevant.”

Falana explained that the land in every state in Nigeria is vested in the governor on behalf of the people and that Federal Government lacks the tenacity to impose land policy on States.

“Under the Land Use Act, the Federal Government has no control over land in Nigeria outside the Federal Capital Territory, and I think that has to be made very clear.

“If the state governments have adopted, and are already investing in the ranching policy of the Federal Government which has given money to Katsina, what is required under the constitution since there is equality before the law, is that the Federal Government has to make available to each states N6.25bn like it has been made available to Katsina State so that ranching can begin in earnest in the country.

“So, the Federal Government has to go back to its policy which is the National Livestock Transformation Plan. We can’t go back to the policy of the 60s which was applicable under the colonial regime,” he explained.