Abstract :
Nigeria’s Land Use Act, promulgated in 1978, is perhaps the most controversial
legislation in the country. The Act, originally promulgated as a decree and annexed
to the country’s constitution, was ostensibly made to nationalize landholding in the
country. However, the peculiar impact of the Act on the inhabitants of the Niger
Delta region that hosts upstream activities of the oil industry has led to assertions
that the Act was made specifically to deprive those inhabitants of the right to participate
actively in the oil industry. This article examines the impact of the Act on the
right of inhabitants to access justice. It argues that the Act obstructs their rights
to environmental justice and is a fundamental cause of the violent conflicts that
pervade the region.
