The Injustice of Right to Land in Africa

Africa as a continent has witnessed lots of communal crisis as a result of land disputes. besides that, the urban poor  who live in the city cannot access land because the Government and the rich have taken over  the land and the poor ones who do not have money to buy Land are been denied right to the Land in spite of the fact that Land is a free gift of Nature from God.

In Africa many have been denied the right to build a house on the Land just because he or she is not an indigene of the area. And when you want  to talk them into allowing people access to the Land they will tell you that this is what my four fathers left as a legacy and no one dare gets closer to the land. Among the  Ibo speaking tribe in Eastern Nigeria, West Africa region at about 10 thousand persons lost their lives as a result of fight over a piece of Land. The case of Right to Land is taking so serious among the Ibos to the extent that some are branded bastards just because they are seeking for the right to be allowed to build house on the family Land.

it is important to note that Land is a free gift of nature and in that it does not show any kind of justice when some people cannot access it either because they do not have money to buy Land or because they are not indigens as alway being the case in Africa. In Abuja the capital of Nigeria for instance, before one can get Land easily, he must be a government official or he has a friend who is in government. And even when these conditions are met, the cost of a piece of land is always out of the reach of the poor, thus if you are poor you do not dream of owning a plot of land no matter how small it may be.

All these factors put together makes the acquisition of Land in Africa difficult. There must be advocacies in Africa that will make government change its policies and make Land accessible to everybody that needs it as this is a free gift from God, and denying anybody access to Land is the highest level of injustice that can be melted to mankind.