Rules, Regulations and Laws of Agriculture in Nigeria

AUTHOR: TOR LAWRENCE GANDEPUUN

ADDRESS: FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE MAKURDI, BENUE STATE

NIGERIA

PROG & DEPT: M.sc. (AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND COM.) 2013

TOPIC; Rules, regulations and laws of Agriculture in Nigeria.

Introduction: Agriculture like any other sector in order to grow has depended on guidelines within its various sub-sectors to operate and achieve sustainable development. Hence, in Nigeria so much resources has been spent over the years in formulation of rules, regulations and laws to govern, strengthen and give legal backing to Agricultural production in the country.

A rule is a statement of what one is advised to do in a particular situation or a statement of what may, must or must not be done in a particular situation or operation (Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary of English). Therefore, it will be correct to say the methods of Agricultural production in Nigeria has a set of rules guiding its operation and limits.

Regulation is an official rule made by a government or some other authority or is a body of means controlling something (Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary of English). This means regulations are prescribed on how activities of the Nigerian Agricultural industry must be carried out. These regulations are made either by Law makers or agencies authorized to formulate such regulation or with such controlling powers over the production.

A Law is the whole system of rules that everyone in a country or society must obey or a rule that deals with a particular situation, agreement etc or a legal system or rules which controls the operations of an organization or activity or prescribes behavior to follow in particular situation or place ( Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary of English ). It is therefore true that the constitutional backing given to the Agricultural sector for its operation and prescribed behaviours in form of laws.

Hence, as seen above it is difficult to clearly separate the rules, regulations and laws governing Agricultural production in Nigeria as they all come in form of Acts or Edicts of the parliament and Decrees of the military which are all legal documents and part of the Nigerian constitution. Therefore, we shall discuss them together in this paper under the following sub-sectors and areas of Agricultural productions.

Land Use Act (FGN 1978)

This is an adoption or an institutional provision to solve the problem of land acquisition by the promulgation of a legislation or the adoption of some revolutionary principles. However, before the Land Use Act of 1978 land administration in the country was traditional in nature depending on customary laws and inheritance for acquisition but with increased need for access to land in order to meet Agricultural production and other purpose there became a need for fair distribution, sustained utilization and development of land. Land Act Use provided for the property user rights of soil, water, fauna and flora resources based on a national systematic lawful land registration programme ( Iwuchukwu J.C et al, 2012).

Inspite