ABSTRACT

Abstract

Save the proponents who are governors mainly from the Northern part of Nigeria, governors and other stakeholders from the East, West and Southern part of the country perceived “Ruga” as indirect compulsory acquisition of land for the exclusive use of a tribe-the Fulani Cattle herdsmen by the Federal Government of Nigeria. This according to them is a usurpation of the state government power to control and manage land in various states as vested by section 1 of the Land Use Act 1978, hence the controversy that greeted the proposed “Ruga” cattle colony in Nigeria. Premised on this, this doctrinal research paper which depends largely on secondary sources for its analytical discourse examines various issues in the proposed “Ruga” cattle colony which has generated unprecedented controversies in the country. The paper also attempts an in-depth discussion on the socio-legal implications of the programme to the corporate existence of Nigeria as a Nation. From the analysis, the paper infers that as laudable as the programme is, the hijacking of same by political jobbers in Nigeria may spell doom for the country. The second focal issue in the paper dwells on the effect of the programme on the provision of Land Use Act with a view to providing some practical solutions based on statutory provisions on Land Regimes in Nigeria.