food insecurity, and many other key issues. It is in a bid to salvage or reverse this
ugly trend that advocates of soil degradation neutrality call for legal and enforceable
soil governance that will focus basically on battling the soil degradation scourge and
to push for the preservation and sustainable use of soil. This requires a synergy
among the major stakeholders (national and international). In other words,
safeguarding the soil to improve human welfare is now a moral obligation. In this
regard it has been opined that a treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of soils
should be developed.
72 In developing the said instrument, there is need to pay
attention to the United Nations Development Goals on the achievement of zero net
degradation, the revision of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, etc.
7 Recommendation
In Nigeria, experiences from conflict embroiled regions have heightened the anxiety
and concern of the academia over the rising ethno-religious tension in the country
due largely to Fulani Muslims and Christian minority ethnic farmers who struggle
over access to soil or land resources. A misplaced or mischaracterised land or soil
governance legislation should not be encouraged to swiftly wipe out an age long
culture of ethnic minority farmers of southern Nigerian, in order to achieve economic and social goals of majority ethnic groups. Consequently, the following vexed
issues need to be addressed urgently before Nigeria slides into armed conflict or
disintegration over avoidable soil governance and land tenure conflicts. This is more
so because Nigeria can draw lessons from other environments or natural resources
induced conflicts resolution mechanisms that have worked elsewhere as sustainable
legal and policy frameworks capable of addressing the issues. In the light of the
above, the following recommendations are necessary and ought to be taken
seriously:
• The current soil or land governance structures and ownership principles that do
not recognize African perspectives on land ownership, family, community or
royal heads, traditional sustainable soils or land management, entrenched in the
Federal Constitution appear to be over centralized and culturally insensitive to
balanced access to land or soil resources in a multicultural society like Nigeria.
• There is the urgent need to provide an enabling framework for holistic soil
governance legislation with the active participation of all stakeholders.
• A mutually beneficial land tenure system with inbuilt peaceful coexistence
incentives that reward peaceful settlement of soil-related disputes needs to be
put in place.
• Nigerians in authority should avoid sectionalism while dealing with matters of
conflict, access to resources, especially, on land ownership and ensure that current
72 Boer and Hannam (2015).
176
B. B. Orubebe
ugly trend that advocates of soil degradation neutrality call for legal and enforceable
soil governance that will focus basically on battling the soil degradation scourge and
to push for the preservation and sustainable use of soil. This requires a synergy
among the major stakeholders (national and international). In other words,
safeguarding the soil to improve human welfare is now a moral obligation. In this
regard it has been opined that a treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of soils
should be developed.
72 In developing the said instrument, there is need to pay
attention to the United Nations Development Goals on the achievement of zero net
degradation, the revision of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, etc.
7 Recommendation
In Nigeria, experiences from conflict embroiled regions have heightened the anxiety
and concern of the academia over the rising ethno-religious tension in the country
due largely to Fulani Muslims and Christian minority ethnic farmers who struggle
over access to soil or land resources. A misplaced or mischaracterised land or soil
governance legislation should not be encouraged to swiftly wipe out an age long
culture of ethnic minority farmers of southern Nigerian, in order to achieve economic and social goals of majority ethnic groups. Consequently, the following vexed
issues need to be addressed urgently before Nigeria slides into armed conflict or
disintegration over avoidable soil governance and land tenure conflicts. This is more
so because Nigeria can draw lessons from other environments or natural resources
induced conflicts resolution mechanisms that have worked elsewhere as sustainable
legal and policy frameworks capable of addressing the issues. In the light of the
above, the following recommendations are necessary and ought to be taken
seriously:
• The current soil or land governance structures and ownership principles that do
not recognize African perspectives on land ownership, family, community or
royal heads, traditional sustainable soils or land management, entrenched in the
Federal Constitution appear to be over centralized and culturally insensitive to
balanced access to land or soil resources in a multicultural society like Nigeria.
• There is the urgent need to provide an enabling framework for holistic soil
governance legislation with the active participation of all stakeholders.
• A mutually beneficial land tenure system with inbuilt peaceful coexistence
incentives that reward peaceful settlement of soil-related disputes needs to be
put in place.
• Nigerians in authority should avoid sectionalism while dealing with matters of
conflict, access to resources, especially, on land ownership and ensure that current
72 Boer and Hannam (2015).
176
B. B. Orubebe