ASSESSMENT OF CONFLICTS INHERENT IN THE COMPULSORY ACQUISITION OF ZUNGERU HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER DAM PROJECT AT ZUNGERU, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Compulsory land acquisition is one of the most challenging issues in land administration in Nigeria. Compulsory land acquisition in Nigeria for urban growth and for various infrastructure developments has led to several conflicts resulting into litigation between the acquiring authorities and the land owners/occupiers. It is on this basis that the study examined the nature of conflict inherent in land acquisition and compensation of Zungeru Hydro-electric Power Dam Project. The study utilized simple random and census sampling techniques to collect relevant information from both affected people and professional stakeholders respectively. The study analysed 380 retrieved questionnaires through descriptive and inferential method of analysis. The result of relative important index showed that under assessment of structures and economic trees, lack of full participation of indigenous stakeholder, lack of institutional framework for fair compensation and lack of good resettlement plans are the major causes of conflict in Zungeru land acquisition at 93.00%, 91.00%, 90.00% and 89.00% ranked respectively. The study also revealed that lack of direct benefit of acquisition to the affected people and lack of political continuity in government as major reasons for the failure of compulsory land acquisition at 93.00% and 91.00% importance. The result further revealed that provision of better infrastructure in resettlement location and public enlightenment of the whole planning process as major workable solutions to land acquisition conflict at 98.00% and 97.00% importance. The study finally discovered adaption of foreign experience in land acquisition is capable of addressing inadequacy of compensation; discourage statutory valuation, psychological loss and injurious affections properly as 84.00%-94.00% importantly responded. The study concludes that, despite the adherence to the identified FAO, VGI guidelines, yet the problem of land acquisition still persists, therefore the need to adopt foreign experience in land acquisition and compensation become inevitable.