Mr Bode Adediji, President, Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), last Thursday urged the Federal Government to set up a mega body to oversee land reform matters.

He told newsmen in Lagos that the body was necessary to fastrack the review of the Land Use Act of 1978 which had suffered delays.

Adediji noted with regret that the various bills on housing in the National Assembly had failed to receive the attention of the lawmakers 12 years into democratic governance in the country.

He said it was imperative that the Federal Government should take necessary action on the issue, bearing in mind that land matters were critical to sustainable and meaningful development.

“Government should know that land reform is very critical to national development.

“There should be a mega body to play an active role in the nation’s land reform matters, bearing in mind the delay in the review of the Land Use Act and passage of housing bills into law.

“Every piece of land should have a title to confirm that it belongs to the person selling it. This way, housing delivery will be better facilitated,” he added.

Adediji explained that land was a “primary way of creating wealth without working. That is why it is sensitive to those in authority, and they use it as a weapon of power”.

He said that once land issue was demystified by making it accessible, most of the problems in the housing sector would be solved.