Soil Governance and Sustainable Land Use
System in Nigeria: The Paradox
of Inequalities, Natural Resource Conflict
and Ecological Diversity in a Federal
System
Bibobra Bello Orubebe
1 Introduction
The Federal Republic of Nigeria comprises an area of approximately 923,853 square
kilometres.
1 It is bounded to the north by the African nations Niger and Chad, to the
west by Benin Republic, to the east by Cameron; to the south by Sao Tome and
Principe, and Equatorial Guinea. Nigeria’s population is currently estimated at over
180 million people.
2 There are approximately three hundred ethnic groups of which
the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo are ‘politics engineered’ majority ethnic groups.
3
Nigeria’s climate and ecology is diverse, with the Sahel desert close in the north,
tropical forest in the south, mountains in the east and mangrove swamps in the core
Niger Delta where the River Niger meets the Atlantic Ocean.
The North is predominately Muslim with indigenous minority Christians, while
the southern Nigerians are essentially Christians with a sizeable Muslim Population.
Geographically, Nigeria is situated between 4
and 14
north of the equator and
longitudes 3
and 15
east of the International Greenwich Meridian. It enjoys a
diversity of climates and marked environmental features, including oil and gas-rich
and sensitive wetlands. The country consists of several extensive physiographical
plateau surfaces including the Jos Plateau, the Udi Plateau, the Manbila Plateau and
the North-Central High Plains. Today, the country is divided into 36 states,
4
B. B. Orubebe (*)
College of Law, Novena University, Ogume, Nigeria
1 Udo (1970). Note that in the 1970s the official measurement used in Nigeria was 356,700 square
miles. This figure was converted to kilometers by the author for easy reference and comprehension.
2 Nigeria National Population Commission, NPC (1998). The current figure is an estimate out of
population figure projections.
3 NPC (1991). The current figure is an estimate out of population figure projections.
4 Constitution of the Republic of Nigeria (1999), Section 3.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
H. Yahyah et al. (eds.), Legal Instruments for Sustainable Soil Management in
Africa, International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36004-7_9
157
System in Nigeria: The Paradox
of Inequalities, Natural Resource Conflict
and Ecological Diversity in a Federal
System
Bibobra Bello Orubebe
1 Introduction
The Federal Republic of Nigeria comprises an area of approximately 923,853 square
kilometres.
1 It is bounded to the north by the African nations Niger and Chad, to the
west by Benin Republic, to the east by Cameron; to the south by Sao Tome and
Principe, and Equatorial Guinea. Nigeria’s population is currently estimated at over
180 million people.
2 There are approximately three hundred ethnic groups of which
the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo are ‘politics engineered’ majority ethnic groups.
3
Nigeria’s climate and ecology is diverse, with the Sahel desert close in the north,
tropical forest in the south, mountains in the east and mangrove swamps in the core
Niger Delta where the River Niger meets the Atlantic Ocean.
The North is predominately Muslim with indigenous minority Christians, while
the southern Nigerians are essentially Christians with a sizeable Muslim Population.
Geographically, Nigeria is situated between 4
and 14
north of the equator and
longitudes 3
and 15
east of the International Greenwich Meridian. It enjoys a
diversity of climates and marked environmental features, including oil and gas-rich
and sensitive wetlands. The country consists of several extensive physiographical
plateau surfaces including the Jos Plateau, the Udi Plateau, the Manbila Plateau and
the North-Central High Plains. Today, the country is divided into 36 states,
4
B. B. Orubebe (*)
College of Law, Novena University, Ogume, Nigeria
1 Udo (1970). Note that in the 1970s the official measurement used in Nigeria was 356,700 square
miles. This figure was converted to kilometers by the author for easy reference and comprehension.
2 Nigeria National Population Commission, NPC (1998). The current figure is an estimate out of
population figure projections.
3 NPC (1991). The current figure is an estimate out of population figure projections.
4 Constitution of the Republic of Nigeria (1999), Section 3.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
H. Yahyah et al. (eds.), Legal Instruments for Sustainable Soil Management in
Africa, International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36004-7_9
157